US Lawmakers Seek Clarity After Report Claims Survivors Targeted in Venezuela Boat Strike

US lawmakers are calling for answers from the Trump administration after a report alleged that American forces carried out a second strike on a Venezuelan boat specifically to kill survivors of an initial attack. The claims have triggered renewed scrutiny of the United States’ expanding military operations in the Caribbean.

Committees in Congress, led by Republicans overseeing the Pentagon, said they would conduct vigorous oversight following the allegations. The Washington Post reported that a US strike on 2 September left two survivors in the water, but that a second missile was launched to comply with what the paper described as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s instruction to kill everybody on board. The report immediately raised fresh questions over the legality of the operation.

President Donald Trump defended his defense secretary on Sunday, saying he believed him completely. For weeks, the US military has boosted its presence in the Caribbean, launching several deadly strikes on boats it says were involved in smuggling drugs from Venezuela and Colombia. Officials argue these operations are necessary to stop narcotics from entering the United States and insist they fall under self-defence.

The administration has further claimed that it is engaged in a non international armed conflict with alleged drug traffickers in the region. However, under the Geneva Conventions, even in armed conflict, it is illegal to deliberately target wounded or incapacitated individuals. Instead, they must be detained and provided medical care. If the follow up strike described in the report did occur, it would represent a serious violation of international law.

Lawmakers from both political parties appeared on US talk shows on Sunday and expressed concern. Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said on CBS that if the allegations were true, the act could rise to the level of a war crime. Republican Representative Mike Turner, who once chaired the House Intelligence Committee, said Congress did not yet have evidence that the second strike took place but agreed that doing so would be an illegal act.

Their comments came soon after the Senate Armed Services Committee announced it would pursue vigorous oversight of the strikes. In a joint statement, committee chair Senator Roger Wicker and ranking Democrat Senator Jack Reed said they had already requested information from the Pentagon. They noted the seriousness of the allegations and said the committee was committed to determining the facts.

The House Armed Services Committee also said it was taking bipartisan steps to gather a full account of the incident. Lawmakers emphasized that clarity from the Pentagon was essential given the high stakes and the number of people killed in recent operations. More than eighty individuals have died in US strikes on suspected drug boats since early September.

With questions mounting, pressure is growing for the administration to provide records, operational details and legal justifications. While the White House maintains that these actions are necessary to stop narcotics, lawmakers say they must ensure that US conduct remains within the bounds of domestic and international law.