US lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration for answers about military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, following reports that a follow-up strike was ordered to kill survivors of an initial attack.
Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct vigorous oversight into the US boat strikes in the Caribbean, following the report.
On Friday, The Washington Post reported that a US strike on a boat on 2 September left two survivors, but a second attack was carried out to comply with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's orders to kill everybody on board.
Hegseth decried the report as fake news and President Donald Trump said he believed him a 100%.
The US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out a series of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia as part of what it calls an anti-narcotics operation.
More than 80 people have been killed since early September.
The Trump administration says it is acting in self-defence by destroying boats carrying illicit drugs to the US.
In its report, The Washington Post stated that Secretary Hegseth gave a spoken directive to kill everybody on board one such vessel, prompting a Special Operations commander to order a second strike.
Lawmakers from both parties appearing on Sunday talk shows stressed the need for congressional reviews of US military actions against suspected drug vessels. They cited significant legal implications, with Senator Tim Kaine commenting that such actions could amount to war crimes.
Senator Mike Turner emphasized the seriousness of the claims, asserting that Congress was not informed about any follow-up strikes.
The Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Committee have announced plans to investigate the matter further.
In response to the accusations, Hegseth labeled them fabricated and insisted the strikes were lawful under US and international law, claiming all traffickers killed were linked to terrorist organizations.
Venezuela's National Assembly condemned the strikes and promised a thorough investigation into the alleged second attack. The Venezuelan government accuses the US of attempting to destabilize its regime.
The situation raises critical questions about the legality of military interventions in international waters, especially regarding the limitations and practices involved in enforcing anti-drug operations.
