INTERNACIONAL
Hegseth backs special ops chief’s ‘combat decisions’ in deadly Caribbean strike ahead of classified briefing
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he stands by the «combat decisions» of a military commander involved in a deadly Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean as lawmakers are gearing up for a classified briefing on the matter later this week.
Hegseth’s comment comes after The Washington Post reported Friday that he verbally ordered everyone onboard the alleged drug boat to be killed in the Sept. 2 operation. The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat.
The White House said Monday that Hegseth authorized the second strike, but the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, Adm. Frank Bradley, ordered and directed it. At the time of the strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command.
«Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since,» Hegseth wrote on X on Monday night.
TRUMP SAYS HE BELIEVES HEGSETH ‘100%’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG BOAT STRIKE DENIAL AMID ALLEGATIONS
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, left, and Adm. Frank «Mitch» Bradley, right. (Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu via Getty Images; USSOCOM)
«America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this Department of War says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it,» he added.
Bradley is set to provide a classified briefing Thursday to lawmakers overseeing the military, according to The Associated Press.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the Sept. 2 strike was conducted «in self-defense» in international waters «in accordance with the law of armed conflict.»
«On September 2nd, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,» Leavitt said. «Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.»
LAWMAKERS SKEPTICAL OF ALLEGED HEGSETH KILL ORDERS IN VENEZUELA — BUT ISSUE STARK WARNING
Video footage shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social showed the suspected drug vessel shortly before it was destroyed on Sept. 2, 2025. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Leavitt also disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed, when asked specifically about Hegseth’s instructions.
«I would reject that the Secretary of War ever said that,» Leavitt said. «However, the president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists, again, are trafficking illegal drugs toward the United States, he has the authority to kill them.»
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday said the committees in the upper and lower chambers of Congress will look into what happened.
«I don’t think you want to draw any conclusions or deductions until you have all the facts,» he said of the Sept. 2 strike, according to the AP. «We’ll see where they lead.»
HEGSETH DEFENDS LETHAL STRIKES AGAINST ALLEGED DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BIDEN CODDLED TERRORISTS, WE KILL THEM’
War Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a news conference at the Pentagon on June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pledged that his panel’s investigation would be «done by the numbers.»
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee who has called for the Trump administration to release the video of the strike, said its inquiry would start «with briefings about what actually happened» from the officials involved.
«If they’ve done nothing wrong, then that video should exonerate them completely. Why don’t they release it?» he asked.
In the House, Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of its Armed Services Committee, said he was «satisfied» following a conversation with Hegseth about the attack, but that he also wanted to hear from Bradley.
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«We’ll all have clarity on Thursday afternoon,» Rogers said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
pete hegseth,defense,narco terror,caribbean region,military,pentagon,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Trump afirmó que los países que reciben petróleo a través del estrecho de Ormuz “deben velar por la seguridad de ese paso”
Este sábado por la tarde, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, se volvió a referir a la situación del estrecho de Ormuz. Al respecto, el mandatario aseveró que “los países del mundo que reciben petróleo a través del estrecho deben velar por la seguridad de ese paso”.
“Estados Unidos ha derrotado y diezmado por completo a Irán, tanto en el ámbito militar como en el económico y en todos los demás aspectos, pero los países del mundo que reciben petróleo a través del estrecho de Ormuz deben velar por la seguridad de ese paso”, señaló el líder republicano en su cuenta de Truth Social.
Y agregó: “Nosotros les ayudaremos —¡Y MUCHO! Estados Unidos también coordinará con esos países para que todo vaya rápido, sin problemas y bien. Esto siempre debería haber sido un esfuerzo de equipo, y ahora lo será: ¡unirá al mundo hacia la armonía, la seguridad y la paz eterna!“.
Más temprano, el mandatario norteamericano había instado a otros países a enviar barcos para asegurar el estrecho de Ormuz: “Muchos países, especialmente aquellos afectados por el intento de Irán de cerrar el estrecho de Ormuz, enviarán buques de guerra, en conjunto con Estados Unidos, para mantener el estrecho abierto y seguro”.
“Ya hemos destruido el 100% de la capacidad militar de Irán, pero les resulta fácil enviar uno o dos drones, lanzar una mina o disparar un misil de corto alcance en algún punto de este estrecho, por muy derrotados que estén. Esperemos que China, Francia, Japón, Corea del Sur, el Reino Unido y otros países afectados por esta restricción artificial envíen buques a la zona para que el estrecho de Ormuz deje de ser una amenaza para una nación totalmente descabezada», manifestó el mandatario.
Y completó: “Mientras tanto, Estados Unidos bombardeará sin cesar la costa y hundirá continuamente barcos iraníes. De una forma u otra, pronto lograremos que el estrecho de Ormuz esté ABIERTO, SEGURO y LIBRE“.
Dos buques cisterna con bandera india que transportaban gas licuado de petróleo con destino a puertos del oeste del país cruzaron el estrecho de Ormuz, según informó el Ministerio de Transporte Marítimo de la India este sábado.
“Cruzaron el estrecho de Ormuz a primera hora de la mañana sin incidentes y se dirigen a la India”, declaró Rajesh Kumar Sinha, secretario especial del Ministerio de Puertos, Transporte Marítimo y Vías Navegables, en una rueda de prensa en Nueva Delhi.
Teherán ha suspendido en gran medida el tráfico marítimo a través de esta ruta clave, por donde normalmente transita una quinta parte del suministro mundial de petróleo, desde que Estados Unidos e Israel lanzaron un ataque contra Irán el mes pasado.
Solo 77 barcos habían atravesado el Estrecho de Ormuz en lo que va de marzo, una cifra muy inferior a los 1.229 tránsitos registrados en el mismo período del año anterior, según datos de Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
La guerra en Medio Oriente provocó una fuerte caída en el paso de embarcaciones por una de las vías marítimas más relevantes para el transporte de energía a nivel mundial.
De acuerdo con Lloyd’s List Intelligence, la mayoría de los buques que lograron cruzar pertenecen a la denominada flota fantasma, integrada por barcos antiguos, con condiciones deficientes, sin seguro adecuado y propietarios poco identificables, generalmente asociados a Rusia e Irán.
La consultora marítima precisó que los buques vinculados al régimen iraní representan el 26% del tráfico en la zona, seguidos por embarcaciones de Grecia con el 13% y de China con el 12%.
“Más de la mitad de los buques cisterna y gaseros que transitan por la zona son flotas paralelas”, afirmó Bridget Diakun, analista senior de Lloyd’s List Intelligence. “Estos barcos están muy acostumbrados a las interrupciones”, añadió Diakun, y sostuvo que por ese motivo “es más probable que intenten la travesía”.
El Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica (CGRI) del país persa mantiene prácticamente cerrado el estrecho, que limita con Irán y por donde circula aproximadamente el 20% del suministro mundial de petróleo. Desde comienzos de mes, 20 buques comerciales —nueve de ellos petroleros— fueron atacados o sufrieron incidentes, de acuerdo con la Agencia Británica de Operaciones de Comercio Marítimo. La Organización Marítima Internacional confirmó 16 incidentes en la región, de los cuales ocho involucran a petroleros.
North America,Government / Politics
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Protesters attacked a Communist Party headquarters in Cuba overnight, ransacking the building and attempting to set it on fire, while video from the scene appeared to capture gunfire and a man on the ground outside, according to footage obtained by Fox News Digital.
Cuban state media later denied that anyone had been struck by police gunfire and announced five arrests.
Dramatic footage shows a large crowd gathered outside the building in the city of Morón as a fire burns in the street and protesters throw burning objects at the structure.
Protesters can be heard chanting «Libertad, libertad!» — Spanish for «Freedom, freedom!» — moments before gunfire rings out in the video.
RUSSIAN ‘DARK FLEET’ TANKER BELIEVED TO BE DELIVERING OIL TO CUBA, DETECTED OFF US COAST AMID TRUMP BAN
Protesters carrying flaming objects approach a Communist Party headquarters in Morón, Cuba, during overnight unrest. Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows demonstrators attempting to set fire to the building amid protests linked to widespread blackouts. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
A young man appears to collapse as others nearby scream in Spanish: «They shot him! They’re shooting! They said they wouldn’t shoot, but they shot him.»
The video then shows people carrying the injured man away from the scene.
In another video obtained by Fox News Digital, large crowds can be seen marching through Morón’s unlit streets before unrest spread to the Communist Party headquarters.
Morón is located on Cuba’s northern coast about 250 miles east of the capital Havana near the tourist resort of Cayo Coco.
«The image circulating shows the scene of the protest, but it’s important for the public to know the truth: no one was injured by gunfire,» state media outlet Vanguardia de Cuba said on X.
«Media manipulation seeks to sow fear and confusion among our people. Let’s not fall for provocations,» it added.
TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER CUBA, THREATENS TARIFFS ON NATIONS THAT SUPPLY OIL TO COMMUNIST REGIME
Protesters gather outside a Communist Party headquarters in Morón, Cuba, as a fire burns in the street during overnight unrest. Video obtained by Fox News Digital appeared to show demonstrators attempting to set fire to the building amid protests linked to widespread blackouts. (Reuters)
State media said police had detained five people and that a «drunken» participant fell and was being treated for injuries in hospital.
Over the past week, several small groups of residents across Havana have banged pots in protest against extended blackouts.
Cuba has faced rolling blackouts, food shortages and renewed protests tied to the island’s worsening energy and economic crisis.
A recent nationwide blackout was triggered by a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the island’s largest power station, cutting electricity across much of the country, according to Reuters.
The crisis has been compounded by fuel shortages after the Trump administration moved to curtail oil shipments to the island, particularly from Venezuela — one of Cuba’s main suppliers.
Cuban officials say U.S. sanctions have worsened the country’s economic difficulties, while repeated power plant failures and an aging electrical grid have left millions facing prolonged blackouts that have fueled growing public frustration and protests.
A Cuban woman wearing a T-shirt with the United States flag sells coconut cookies, Saturday, on a Havana street. (Yamil Lage / AFP via Getty Images)
«What initially began peacefully, and after an exchange with local authorities, turned into acts of vandalism against the headquarters of the Municipal Party Committee,» the state-run Invasor newspaper reported, according to Reuters.
«A smaller group of people stoned the entrance of the building and started a fire in the street with furniture from the reception area,» it added.
Vandals also targeted several other state-run establishments in the area, including a pharmacy and a government market, the report said.
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On Friday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that he was holding talks with the U.S. government, marking the first time the Caribbean country has confirmed widespread speculation about discussions with the Trump administration.
Díaz-Canel said that no petroleum shipments have arrived in Cuba in the past three months and blamed a U.S. energy blockade for that. He said that the island is running on a mixture of natural gas, solar power and thermoelectric plants.
Fox News’ Efrat Lachter, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
cuba,world,world protests,donald trump,geopolitics,socialism
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