As Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill to address recent strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats off the coast of Venezuela, he told reporters that full videos of the strikes will not be made public, calling them "top secret."
That announcement comes despite President Donald Trump previously stating he would have no objection to releasing the videos.
The strikes were conducted at the direction of Hegseth after intelligence confirmed the vessels were engaged in narco-trafficking, according to U.S. Southern Command.
The briefing comes amid ongoing scrutiny over a September 2nd strike that reportedly had survivors and was followed by a second strike, leading to accusations of potential war crime violations. Hegseth said that members of Congress would have an opportunity to see the video in a classified setting.
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The operation has now resulted in 95 deaths total since it began, raising questions about the scope and objectives of the military campaign.
Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided a classified briefing to Congress today, marking the first opportunity for many rank-and-file members to receive detailed information about the operations beyond what has been publicly reported.
The U.S. military destroyed three boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific on Monday, killing eight people in international waters as part of Operation Southern Spear.
However, Republican opposition to the operations has diminished in recent days. The House Armed Services Committee chairman ended what was described as a brief bipartisan probe of military conduct and Hegseth's actions, considering the matter closed.
The Trump administration says the operations aim to prevent illegal narcotics from entering the U.S. and reduce drug overdose deaths. President Trump claimed Monday that drugs coming in by sea are down 94%.
"We're trying to figure out who the other 6% are," Trump said at the White House. "And we're going to start hitting them on land, which is a lot easier to do, frankly."
Military and foreign policy experts question whether the administration has broader ambitions beyond drug interdiction. The Caribbean has seen the largest U.S. military presence in generations over recent months.
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Some observers suggest the operations could be aimed at regime change in Venezuela, whose leader Nicolas Maduro is not recognized as legitimate by the U.S. government. The U.S. believes Maduro stole the last election, and he has criticized the United States for Venezuela's problems for years.
The potential expansion to land-based strikes would represent a significant escalation of the military campaign.
