Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared that the Pentagon will not release unedited footage of a controversial US military operation that involved a "double-tap" strike on a boat, an attack now under intense legal and political scrutiny.
Footage Restricted to Congress, Not Public
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday 16 December 2025 after a closed-door briefing with senators, Hegseth stated that releasing the full video to the public would contravene longstanding Department of Defense policy. "In keeping with longstanding [Pentagon] policy, of course we’re not going to release a top-secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public," he said.
He confirmed that members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees would be allowed to review the material, but emphatically added "not the general public." Hegseth, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, then departed the Capitol, leaving a scrum of journalists shouting unanswered questions.
Details of the Deadly Campaign Emerge
The incident in question is part of a broader campaign under the Trump administration targeting vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Pacific and Caribbean. This campaign has resulted in at least 95 fatalities.
The specific strike that prompted the video controversy occurred on 2 September. According to reports from The Washington Post, after an initial strike, two survivors emerged from the wreckage. The commander overseeing the operation then ordered a second strike. This order was reportedly given in response to alleged instructions from Hegseth himself to "kill everybody" on the vessels, as cited by officials with direct knowledge.
Mounting Legal and Political Fallout
News of Hegseth's alleged command has significantly heightened the controversy surrounding these operations. They are facing allegations of constituting illegal extrajudicial killings.
In recent months, law-of-war experts consulted by The Independent have gone further, labelling the attacks "outright murders and war crimes." The refusal to release the video is likely to fuel further demands for transparency and accountability, placing the administration's deadly tactics under an even more powerful microscope.
This remains a developing story.
