War Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the deadly Sept. 2 military strike on a suspected drug-running vessel in the Caribbean Sea, but did not direct the killing of any survivors of the initial attack, according to a new report.

The New York Times, citing five US officials, reported Tuesday that Hegseth’s initial order to destroy the boat, its alleged drug cargo and anyone on board did not specify what should happen if survivors remained.

Adm. Frank Bradley, the head of US Special Operations Command, ultimately signed off on both the initial strike and several follow-up strikes that killed 11 people.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the subsequent strike, which targeted two survivors of the initial hit, was in direct response to Hegseth’s order to “kill everybody” on board t

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