Hegseth pushes back on ‘fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory’ stories about lethal strikes

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote on

The statement followed reports in media outlets including the Washington Post and CNN claiming that the US military ordered a second strike on a suspected drug trafficking ship in the Caribbean on September 2, after the initial attack left two survivors.

The commander overseeing that operation told colleagues in a secure conference call that the survivors were legitimate targets because they could still contact other traffickers for help and ordered the second strike to comply with a directive from Hegseth that everyone be killed, according to the Washington Post.

“As usual, fake news delivers even more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory reporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland,” Hegseth wrote on X Friday.

Trump says we will start arresting Venezuelan drug traffickers by land

Video footage shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social showed the suspected drug ship shortly before its destruction on September 2. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)

“As we have said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘deadly kinetic strikes.’ The stated intent is to stop deadly drugs, destroy narco-ships, and kill the narco-terrorists who are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a designated terrorist organization,” Hegseth continued.

“The Biden administration favored the gauntlet approach, allowing millions – including dangerous cartels and unchecked Afghans – to flood our communities with drugs and violence. The Trump administration closed the border and went on the offensive against narcoterrorists. Biden coddled the terrorists, we kill them,” he added.

Hegseth also said: “Our current operations in the Caribbean are legal under U.S. and international law, with all of our actions consistent with the law of armed conflict – and approved by top military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command. »

US FORCES KILL 3 NARCO-TERRORISTS DURING DEADLY STRIKE OPERATION IN EASTERN PACIFIC TARGETING DRUG NETWORKS

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, left, and former President Joe Biden. (Félix Léon/AFP via Getty Images; Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

In another post on his personal X account, Hegseth wrote: “We just started killing narcoterrorists. »

Fox News Digital has reached out to a Biden spokesperson for comment.

President Donald Trump also said Thursday that the United States would begin arresting suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers “very soon” “by land.”

“From sending their poisons to the United States, where they kill hundreds of thousands of people a year, but we’re going to take care of this situation,” Trump said. “We already do a lot… It’s about 85% stopped by the sea.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that the United States carried out a deadly strike against a ship operated by suspected narcoterrorists in the Caribbean Sea on October 24, 2025. (War Department)

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The president added: “You’ve probably noticed that now people don’t want to deliver by sea, and we’re going to start stopping them by land as well. Land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”

Sophia Compton of Fox News contributed to this report.