Survivors of Sept 2 drug boat strike were deemed valid targets by DoW after climbing back onto vessel to salvage drug cargo: report

A source familiar with the incident told ABC News that the two survivors of the first strike were later seen climbing back onto the boat and were believed to have been in communication with other boats in the area. The two were reportedly salvaging some of the drugs from the boat’s cargo.

Due to these actions, the survivors were deemed "still in the fight" and considered to be valid targets.

The September 2 strikes have come into the spotlight in recent days after the Washington Post released a report stating that two survivors were killed in a subsequent strike that was taken to "comply with Hegseth’s instructions," in which Hegseth had ordered "kill everybody" ahead of the attack.

Hegseth called it "fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting," with the White House saying that Hegseth had authorized Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley to conduct the strikes, who "worked well within his authority and the law." The Pentagon said that the "Washington Post actually went so far as to falsely attribute a quote" Hegseth, and the story was "completely fake news."

The New York Times released a report contradicting the one from the Washington Post, stating that Hegseth had issued an order ahead of Setember 2 for a strike that would kill people on the board, destroy the vessel, and destroy the cargo. Hegseth had not specified what should take place if the first missile did not accomplish all of those goals. The report also stated that his order was not made in response to surveillance footage showing the survivors.

Admiral Bradley will appear before Congressional leaders to speak behind closed doors about the strike. Bradley, who will be accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine, is expected to show lawmakers extended surveillance footage of the operation. The source told ABC News that a military lawyer had been with Bradley throughout the September 2 strikes, providing legal advice to ensure that actions were legally authorized.