The Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Armed Services Committee announced a bipartisan investigation Saturday into reports that U.S. forces conducted follow-up strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, killing survivors who had initially lived through missile attacks.

In a rare joint statement, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) declared their committee “committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.” The lawmakers cited “serious” reports of subsequent attacks on boats “alleged to be ferrying narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region” and vowed “bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.”

The investigation centers on a September 2 incident first reported by The Washington Post, in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered Special Operations forces to ensure no survivors remained after a strike on a vessel suspected of carrying drugs. According to officials with direct knowledge of the operation, an initial missile attack left two men alive in the water, but a commander ordered a second strike after receiving Hegseth’s instructions to “kill everybody.”

The September 2 attack marked the beginning of an intensified campaign that has resulted in more than a dozen strikes on alleged drug-running boats, killing over 80 people in the past three months. The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) has acknowledged conducting at least 21 such strikes, with the most recent occurring in the eastern Pacific on November 15.​​

President Donald Trump has simultaneously escalated pressure on Venezuela, announcing that Venezuelan airspace is “closed in its entirety” and confirming conversations with President Nicolás Maduro while threatening imminent land operations. The administration has designated the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, using that designation to justify military action under the law of armed conflict.

The strikes have triggered alarm among international allies and legal experts. The United Kingdom ceased sharing intelligence with the U.S. regarding suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, citing concerns about complicity in potentially illegal operations. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee has launched a parallel investigation, with Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) announcing “vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”

The investigation unfolds amid the largest U.S. naval buildup in the Caribbean in decades, involving the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, at least seven warships, a nuclear submarine, and 4,500 troops. While the Trump administration describes the deployment as counter-narcotics operation “Operation Southern Spear,” experts assess the military posture as preparation for potential action against the Maduro government.​

Venezuela has responded by mobilizing over four million soldiers in its Bolivarian Militia and announcing a “prolonged resistance” strategy involving guerrilla-style tactics from over 280 locations if the U.S. invades.

The Pentagon has not released evidence supporting its claims that all targeted vessels were linked to designated terrorist organizations or that drugs were present on the destroyed boats.