Pete Hegseth denies he gave orders to 'kill everybody' on alleged 'narco-boat'

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied allegations that he gave orders to "kill everybody" on a suspected narco-boat in the Caribbean. The remarks came after a Washington Post report this week claimed Hegseth ordered defense officials to "kill everybody" traveling on a boat being surveilled by analysts, sparking outrage among lawmakers and human rights groups.

According to the report, two senators have directed inquiries to the Department of Defense, with plans to conduct vigorous oversight into the circumstances surrounding the alleged strikes. Adm Frank M "Mitch" Bradley reportedly ordered a second strike to kill two survivors in compliance with Hegseth's orders, raising questions about the legality of the operation.

Experts say that the Trump administration's missile strikes in the Caribbean may be unlawful, and more than 80 people have been killed in the series of military strikes targeting at least 22 boats. The US government has traditionally interdicted drug-trafficking boats and prosecuted alleged smugglers, but Hegseth claims that his administration is targeting "narco-terrorists" who are poisoning the American people.

However, critics argue that the Trump administration's claims about the boat strikes are baseless, and many of those killed were not narco-terrorists or leaders of a cartel or gang. The Venezuelan ambassador to the UN has denounced the administration's strikes as "extrajudicial executions".

Hegseth, who was lambasted for his remarks, claimed that the reporting on him is "fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory" and accused his critics of trying to discredit US warriors fighting to protect the homeland.

I'm so concerned about this situation . The fact that there's been a total disregard for human life in these military strikes is unsettling. Like, what even is "narco-terrorists" supposed to be? These aren't exactly known for their evil plans, you know? And the stats don't lie - over 80 people have lost their lives and it's not like they were all high-ranking cartel leaders or anything.

It's also pretty messed up that the US government is trying to justify this as some kind of necessary evil, when in reality it sounds like just a case of someone pulling the trigger without thinking about the consequences. And let's be real, Hegseth's whole "kill everybody" thing isn't exactly reassuring... I mean, how do we even know who's supposed to live and die in these situations? The lack of transparency is just adding fuel to the fire.

We need to get some answers here - was this operation really necessary? Were there other options available? It's time for a serious investigation into what went down and why.

OMG I'm totally with Pete Hegseth on this one... like, who wouldn't want to kill a bunch of narco-terrorists who are literally poisoning people? I mean, come on, the guy's trying to protect America from some serious threats. And if a few innocent bystanders get killed in the process, well, that's just collateral damage, right? Don't @ me when I say this, but maybe we should just start using drone strikes more often and call it a day... like, who needs oversight or accountability when it comes to national security, am I right?

I'm kinda surprised by this whole thing. I mean, I get why people are outraged - the idea of ordering someone to just be killed because they're on a boat in the Caribbean is wild . And the fact that more than 80 people have died in these strikes is just heartbreaking .

I also think it's weird that Hegseth says he's targeting "narco-terrorists" but critics say most of those killed weren't even narco-terrorists . It just feels like a lot of people are getting hurt and no one's really explaining what's going on.

And I get why the Venezuelan ambassador is upset - it does sound like extrajudicial killings to me . But at the same time, you've got Hegseth saying that his critics are trying to discredit US soldiers who are fighting for their country ‍. It's all just really messy and confusing .

I don't think we know all the facts yet, but it feels like there's definitely some accountability needed here .

‍ What's with all these "kill everybody" orders? It sounds like a bad video game not real-life politics!

I just can't help but think about the grey area between national security and human rights, you know? I've lived long enough to see how politics and power can blur the lines, and this whole situation with Pete Hegseth is making me wonder if we're really doing what's right. I mean, who gets to decide who's a "narco-terrorist" and deserves to be killed? It seems like there's more going on here than just stopping drug trafficking, if you ask me. The fact that they're calling it "extrajudicial executions" really makes me question the US government's motives. I'm not saying Hegseth is wrong about the threat, but we need to be careful not to sacrifice our values for the sake of security.

Just saw this and I'm still trying to process how bad it is... another alleged case of the US military just killing innocent people on the high seas without a care in the world... like, what's next? Did we really think that just because someone was on a boat that might be carrying some weed or whatever, they got to lose their lives?! And now there are already over 80 dead and the US is all "oh no, our guys are being unfairly criticized"? It's like, you can't even trust your own military anymore... the whole thing stinks of imperialist hypocrisy

this guy Hegseth is like a real charmer with those 'kill everybody' comments lol guess it's no wonder he's got so many people on his case already. i mean, who needs nuance when you can just order some drone strikes and call it "narco-terrorism"? the venezuelan ambassador is right though, this whole thing does sound like a bunch of extrajudicial executions to me...

omg this is so messed up like what even is a narco-boat and why are we killing innocent people in the middle of the ocean?? i mean i get it that they're trying to stop some bad guys, but come on, can't we just try to figure out who's involved first?

and what's with the language Hegseth used "kill everybody" is literally chilling me . who gives orders like that and gets away with it? it seems so extreme even for a military operation . i'm not saying we shouldn't take action against narco-trafficking, but surely there are better ways to do it without killing people willy-nilly .

the fact that Adm Bradley had to order a second strike just because of one survivor is wild . like, what's the point of even doing military ops if we're just gonna kill our own people?

This is just another case where military might trumps human life . Killing innocent people in the name of 'narco-terrorism' isn't warfare, it's a crime scene . Who do we trust when it comes to national security?

I'm really disappointed in what's going down over there. It sounds like a perfect storm of questionable decision-making has led to an unacceptable number of civilian casualties . I think it's highly probable that Hegseth's orders were, at the very least, morally dubious and may have even been unlawful from a humanitarian standpoint.

The fact that experts are questioning the legality of these strikes is a major concern, especially given the scale of loss of life involved (over 80 people!). It's also worrying to see how some politicians are downplaying or dismissing concerns about civilian casualties as "baseless" or "fabricated". The Venezuelan ambassador's characterization of these strikes as "extrajudicial executions" really highlights just how extreme this situation is . We need more accountability and transparency from our governments, especially when it comes to actions that have real-world consequences for innocent people.

this whole thing feels like a huge mess... i mean, 80+ people killed in military strikes? that's not something you hear every day... and now Pete Hegseth is denying giving orders to kill everyone on a boat but at the same time, he's got some serious explaining to do... what if those survivors were just innocent bystanders caught up in a cartel-related op? i think we need more context here, and less finger-pointing... can't we just focus on finding out what really happened and making sure it doesn't happen again?

OMG this is insane! Killing everybody on a boat?! That's like something out of a bad action movie . And now they're saying it was a 'narco-terrorist' who got taken out? Give me a break! Those poor people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't care if they were smuggling weed or whatever, we shouldn't be killing innocent civilians .

And what's with this 'narco-terrorism' thing? That sounds like something straight out of a bad sci-fi novel . It's not like we're fighting aliens here! We need to start thinking about the consequences of our actions and make sure we're not just making things worse .

I'm so sick of politicians playing games with people's lives . They need to get their act together and start being honest with us instead of spinning this whole narco-terrorism narrative . It's time for some real accountability .

this whole situation has me thinking about the blurred lines between war and state-sanctioned vigilantism... i mean, we're talking about a US Defense Secretary who supposedly ordered people to be killed without trial or due process, but what exactly is the difference between military action and extrajudicial killing? it's like we've created this narrative where our soldiers are fighting for us, but in reality, they're just agents of the state, carrying out policies that might not even align with our values... and then we wonder why people get outraged when it goes too far

this whole thing feels super fishy to me... like someone's trying to spin a narrative to get under people's skin. I mean, what's with the "narco-terrorists" label? Sounds like they're using that as an excuse to justify some questionable ops in the Caribbean.

And 80+ people killed? That's just heartbreaking. Not to mention all those innocent bystanders who got caught up in the crossfire. I'm not saying Hegseth's a bad guy, but this whole thing reeks of a cover-up.

It's also interesting that the US government is suddenly using the term "narco-terrorists" - like, when have they ever used that term before? This feels like some sort of PR stunt to make the public think they're doing something about the cartel problem, but really it might just be a justification for more militarized aggression.

idk how he gonna get away with this ... the reports just don't add up. like 80 people killed in a few strikes? it's wild. i'm not buying the narco-terrorist narrative either, sounds like some major cover-up going on. what really happened out there? was it all just a big mistake or is there more to it than what we're being told?

The whole thing stinks like a fish market in NYC... I mean what's with these 'narco-terrorists' and 'extrajudicial executions'? First off, if they're really targeting narco-traffickers, why did 80 people get wasted? That's more lives lost to military strikes than actual cartel members. And another thing, who decides who's a 'narco-terrorist' anyway? It sounds like an excuse for a proxy war that has nothing to do with actual national security.

omg u guyz this is crazy!!! like wat r u even doin pete hegseth?? 80 ppl dead thats a lotta lives lost over some alleged narco-terrorists. and dont even get me started on the trump admin's claims lol they cant even get it rite. i mean i know ur trying to stop cartels but killing innocent ppl is not the answer. and whats with all these "extrajudicial executions"?? sounds like war crimes 2 me i guess we'll jus have to wait n see how this whole thing plays out

What's going on here? This whole narco-boat debacle is a classic case of executive overreach . I mean, come on, Defense Secretary Hegseth wants us to believe that these innocent civilians were narco-terrorists just because they happened to be on a boat in the Caribbean? Give me a break! It's like he's trying to rewrite the rules of war here.

And let's not forget about the Trump administration's track record on human rights. If this was under Obama, there would be outrage and calls for investigations. But under Trump... well, you know how that goes . The fact that 80 people have been killed in these strikes just to make a point is unacceptable. We need accountability here, not more excuses from our leaders.

And what's with this "narco-terrorists" nonsense? Is this some kind of euphemism for "people who are caught up in the wrong side of history"? It's time for our leaders to stop playing politics and start doing their jobs. We need transparency, not spin.

OMG, this is soooo sketchy ... like, how can you just order people to be killed without even knowing what they did? I mean, sure, the US has gotta stop narco-trafficking and all that, but isn't there a better way to do it? Like, interrogate them or something? And now they're saying it's "narco-terrorists" and it just seems like a bunch of BS ... 80+ people killed is just crazy, like what even is the point of that?!