Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed on Thursday evening that the U.S. had conducted another strike, this time in the Eastern Pacific.

Hours before this announcement, Hegseth had been under intense scrutiny after Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the Navy SEAL officer heading the U.S. Special Operations Command, briefed Congress on Capitol Hill regarding the contentious “double-tap” strike against an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean on September 2. Some view this incident as a potential war crime, as a subsequent strike, reportedly ordered by Bradley, resulted in the deaths of survivors from the initial attack.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for the late Charlie Kirk’s Conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, expressed strong backing for the Secretary of Defense on social media, stating, “Every new attack aimed at Pete Hegseth makes me want another narco drug boat blown up and sent to the bottom of the ocean.”

In reply, Hegseth stated: “Your wish is our command, Andrew. Just sunk another narco boat.”

This rather informal response to the military operation followed closely on the heels of the U.S. Southern Command’s confirmation of what is believed to be the 22nd vessel strike conducted by the U.S. across the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

The most recent strike resulted in four fatalities, reportedly raising the total death toll to 87.

Confirming that this recent vessel strike was conducted under Hegseth’s command, the Department of Defense declared: “Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed.”

Since the first strike in the Caribbean Sea in September, the Trump Administration has contended that U.S. military operations are essential to stem the influx of narcotics into the United States. Although the Administration has not yet disclosed public evidence demonstrating that the targeted vessels were carrying drugs, lawmakers present at Thursday’s briefing stated that officials verified the presence of drugs on board the ships.

Hegseth has recently faced criticism, leading to bipartisan demands for an investigation, following reports that he had issued a “kill everybody” directive, which led to a second strike on a vessel where survivors of the initial attack were still present.

Hegseth has refuted issuing a “kill everybody” instruction for the September 2 strikes, and during the Capitol Hill briefing, Adm. Bradley also strongly denied that Hegseth commanded his subordinates to “kill everybody” on the vessel.

After confirming the second strike on the alleged drug vessel, the White House defended the action as lawful. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed last week that Bradley had operated “within his authority and the law.”

Lawmakers held differing opinions after reviewing video footage of the disputed September 2 strikes during Thursday’s briefing.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, defended the military’s actions as “righteous strikes,” informing reporters on Capitol Hill that such attacks were “entirely lawful and necessary.”

In contrast, Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed being “deeply disturbed” by the footage.

“This briefing confirmed my worst fears regarding the nature of the Trump Administration’s military operations, and precisely illustrates why the Senate Armed Services Committee has repeatedly sought—and been denied—critical information, documents, and facts concerning this operation. This must and will be merely the start of our inquiry into this incident,” Reed stated in a declaration to TIME, further adding that the Pentagon has “no alternative” but to release the unedited footage of the strike.

Trump had previously asserted that the vessels targeted on September 2 were operated by members of the Venezuelan cartel, which he maintains is controlled by Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro. (This claim contradicts assessments by U.S. analysts.)

Over the past three months, the U.S. military has deployed warships, fighter jets, marines, and drones—as well as other surveillance and intelligence-gathering assets—in the Caribbean Sea. The Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier has also been stationed in the Latin American region.

During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump reiterated that the U.S. intends to escalate its military campaign against Venezuela and its alleged drug vessels by also conducting land strikes.

“We’re conducting these [sea] strikes, and we intend to commence land strikes as well; you know, land operations are considerably simpler,” Trump stated.

Venezuelan leader Maduro has vowed to defend “every inch” of the nation’s territory amidst escalating tensions with the U.S. At a rally in late November, Maduro—clad in camouflage fatigues and brandishing a sword—declared to an enthusiastic crowd: “We must be prepared to defend every inch of this blessed land from imperialist threat or aggression, regardless of its origin.”

He further added: “There is no justification for anyone to falter at this crucial moment for the Republic’s existence; no justification.”

The Trump Administration, akin to the Biden Administration before it, does not acknowledge Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. Maduro, who assumed the presidency of Venezuela after Hugo Chavez’s death in 2013, was inaugurated for a third term in January, notwithstanding broad apprehension regarding the validity of the nation’s election outcomes.