White House Clarifies US Navy Commander, Not Pete Hegseth, Ordered Second Strike on Venezuelan Boat

• The White House clarified that a senior Navy commander, not Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, ordered the second airstrike on a Venezuelan drug boat on September 2.
• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Hegseth authorized the strikes but did not instruct forces to "kill everybody."
• Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, who commanded the operation, is scheduled to provide a classified briefing to lawmakers on Thursday.
• Both Senate and House Armed Services Committee chairs have announced probes into the September strikes.
• US airstrikes targeting suspected drug-trafficking boats have resulted in at least 83 deaths since September.

Why It Matters: The White House clarification impacts US military accountability and ongoing congressional probes.