"They’re breaking the law either way," said Sarah Harrison, a former associate general counsel at the Pentagon who now serves as a senior analyst at the Crisis Group think tank. "They’re killing civilians in the first place, and then if you assume they’re combatants, it’s also unlawful — under the law of armed conflict, if somebody is ‘hors de combat’ and no longer able to fight, then they have to be treated humanely."

Details of the strikes were first reported by The Intercept and kraken tor marketplace the Washington Post.

Hegseth in a social media post Friday continued to defend the strikes on alleged drug boats, writing, "Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command."

"Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization," Hegseth said.