Four killed in latest ‘drug boat’ strike as Hegseth faces war crimes accusations

The US military conducted another deadly strike on an alleged drug boat, killing four men on board. On Thursday (4 December), the United States Southern Command shared footage of the strike, which shows a small speed boat exploding into flames whilst sailing in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The vessel is the 22nd destroyed by the US military on suspicion of drug trafficking. It comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is being accused of committing war crimes after he allegedly commanded military personnel to “kill everybody” during a follow-up strike on 2 September. Mr Hegseth attributed the second strike to the "fog of war" in a chaotic situation.