New details reveal that the US military conducted a second airstrike on a drug-smuggling boat on September 2, killing two men who survived an initial strike. A source told ABC News these men were considered “still in the fight” because they appeared to communicate with nearby vessels and gathered narcotics from the damaged boat. This move made them legitimate targets under existing counter-cartel plans. This event was the first time the US used air power against suspected cartel boats under President Trump's updated policy. The follow-up strike has sparked criticism on Capitol Hill. Some lawmakers argue it might have violated international humanitarian law, which protects shipwrecked or incapacitated combatants and requires rescuing people in distress at sea. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Admiral Frank M Bradley, then leading joint special operations command (JSOC), had authority to order the second strike under orders given earlier. Bradley, now commander of US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), acted with legal counsel present during the mission. Hegseth watched the first strike live but did not see the second strike in real time. President Trump said he supports any military footage release, stating, “Whatever they have we'd certainly release, no problem.” The Pentagon’s plan differentiates between survivors who are helpless and those still hostile. Incapacitated survivors must be rescued, but those actively hostile or coordinating threats remain targets. The military practiced these scenarios extensively before the first strike. Later operations show how this policy works. On October 16, two survivors from a semi-submersible were rescued after being declared “no longer in the fight.” On October 27, the US requested Mexican authorities to rescue a survivor swimming after an airstrike, but the individual went missing and is believed drowned. So far, 21 US airstrikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have led to 83 deaths.