The United States military is facing one of its most serious legal and political crises of the year after explosive reporting alleged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a 'kill everybody' directive during a deadly maritime strike in the Caribbean.
The Washington Post investigative reporting that revealed this claim has put the government in a situation where it has to do damage control quickly. This, as the operation is being questioned by, among others, lawmakers, legal experts and international observers, as to whether it did violate the basic laws of war or not.
The issue, which already has many people calling for accountability, quickly became a global subject of discourse.
How the Hegseth Order Unfolded During the Deadly Boat Strike
According to the Washington Post, the incident happened during an early September operation under Operation Southern Spear, a widening U.S. military campaign targeting vessels it claimed were linked to narcotics trafficking networks.
During the mission, a suspected drug-trafficking boat near Trinidad was hit with a missile strike, leaving two individuals clinging to floating debris for dear life. The report indicated that, after the initial blast, Hegseth allegedly issued the verbal instruction to 'kill everybody', prompting a second strike that killed the survivors. The operation was carried out by personnel associated with Joint Special Operations Command, including operators tied to SEAL Team 6.
Officials have identified the targets as 'unlawful combatants' the U.S. believed were tied to transnational narco-terrorist groups operating across the Caribbean and Pacific corridors. The Pentagon has since continued to justify the wider campaign, insisting the U.S. is engaged in what it calls a 'non-international armed conflict' against criminal organisations posing a cross-border threat.
However, the government has not released the identities of those killed or publicly disclosed evidence confirming their direct involvement in drug trafficking, fuelling ongoing concerns about transparency and the legal framework underpinning the strikes.
Legal, Political and Diplomatic Fallout Intensifies Around Hegseth
The alleged directive has sparked warnings from military law experts, human-rights groups and former prosecutors who say such an order could constitute a violation of the Geneva Conventions. Analysts have pointed out that it is akin to an execution without trial if the survivors who cannot fight back are the ones being targeted, and this is a form of 'no-quarter' action that is prohibited by the law.
According to various media outlets, critics consider the justification of the second strike being necessary to eliminate a navigational hazard as contrary to international maritime laws. Legal specialists also point out that because the United States has not formally declared an armed conflict with the individuals targeted, the threshold for lawful lethal force is significantly narrower.
Nevertheless, the political response has been swift. Members of Congress from both parties have demanded investigations into the operation and into the broader Southern Spear campaign. Lawmakers have raised concerns about the lack of congressional authorisation for what increasingly resembles an undeclared conflict overseas. They have also questioned why the administration has not presented intelligence verifying the alleged links between the victims and criminal organisations.
Further scrutiny has fallen on the overall scope of the campaign, with reports indicating that more than 20 maritime strikes have been carried out since September, resulting in at least 83 deaths. Legislators warn that if the directive is confirmed, senior officials, including Hegseth, could face long-term legal consequences.
International reaction has also intensified. Several Latin American governments, particularly Venezuela, have denounced the strikes as unlawful extraterritorial killings. Human-rights organisations have echoed those concerns, arguing that the operation may erode global norms regarding the use of military force against civilian suspects and criminal groups.
Regional diplomats warn that the escalating tensions could complicate U.S. relations across the Caribbean and South America as nations call for greater accountability from Washington. With the mounting pressure, the U.S. defense apparatus confronts increasing requests to make public the operational footage, the legal authorizations and the intelligence evaluations that would shed light on the strike decision-making process.
The debate over Hegseth's directive has now ballooned into a much larger discussion not only about a single operation, but also about the general issues of openness, legality and the conduct of future U.S. drug wars.
