The US military announced that four men were killed on Thursday in a strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The operation was carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear on orders from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Intelligence revealed the boat was operated by a "designated terrorist organization" and was carrying illegal drugs. US Southern Command released a post on X showing the boat speeding before it was hit by an explosion. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded on X, saying, "Your wish is our command, Andrew. Just sunk another narco boat." The strike added fuel to debate after lawmakers viewed classified footage from early September. The video showed US forces attacking a vessel that was already destroyed, killing two survivors. House Intelligence Committee Democrat Rep. Jim Himes called it "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service," saying, "You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel, who were killed by the United States." Republican Rep. Don Bacon said on CNN that the rules of war do not allow killing survivors unless there is an imminent threat, which he said was not present. However, Senator Tom Cotton defended the strikes as "entirely lawful and needful," explaining that the survivors were trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs to continue their mission. The White House and Pentagon distanced Defense Secretary Hegseth from the survivors' deaths, stating operational command was held by Admiral Frank Bradley. Lawmakers were told Hegseth did not order all crew members killed, but Bacon maintained Hegseth is ultimately responsible as defense secretary. The Trump administration sees this campaign as part of a larger fight against "narco-terrorists," deploying naval forces to the Caribbean. Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro accused the US of using drug enforcement as a cover for regime change efforts in Caracas.