Hegseth pushes back on ‘fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory’ stories about lethal strikes

“Biden coddles terrorists, and we’re killing them,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote on X, in a post defending the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug ships in the Caribbean Sea.

The announcement came after reports from media outlets such as the Washington Post and CNN claiming that the US military ordered a second raid on a suspected drug ship in the Caribbean on September 2 after the initial attack that left survivors.

The commander overseeing the operation told his colleagues on a secure conference call that the survivors were legitimate targets because they could still contact other traffickers for help, and ordered the second strike in compliance with Hegseth’s directive that everyone should be killed, according to the Washington Post.

“As usual, fake news delivers more fabricated, inflammatory and insulting reports to discredit our amazing warriors who fight to protect the nation,” Hegseth wrote on X on Friday.

Trump says US will start stopping Venezuelan drug traffickers by land

He added: “As we have said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal kinetic strikes.’ The stated goal is to stop deadly drugs, destroy drug boats, and kill drug terrorists who are poisoning the American people. “Every smuggler we kill belongs to a designated terrorist organization,” Hegseth continued.

He added: “The Biden administration favored a small gloves approach, allowing millions of people – including dangerous gangs and unvetted Afghans – to flood our communities with drugs and violence. The Trump administration has closed the border and committed a crime against narco-terrorists. Biden has coddled terrorists, and we are killing them.”

Hegseth also said: “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under US and international law, and all actions comply with the Law of Armed Conflict – and are approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”

US forces kill three drug terrorists in a deadly offensive operation in the eastern Pacific targeting drug networks

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, left, and former President Joe Biden. (Felix Leon/AFP via Getty Images; Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

In a separate post on his personal X account, Hegseth wrote: “We have just started killing drug terrorists.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to a Biden spokesperson for comment.

President Donald Trump also said Thursday that the United States would “very soon” begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers “on land.”

Trump said: “From sending their poison to the United States, where they kill hundreds of thousands of people every year, but we will take care of this situation.” “We are already doing a lot…about 85% Stop by the sea.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that the United States carried out a fatal strike on a ship operated by alleged drug terrorists in the Caribbean Sea on October 24, 2025. (war department)

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“You may have noticed that now people don’t want to deliver by sea, and we will start stopping them by land as well. Land is easier, but that will start very soon,” the president added.

Fox News’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.