The U.S. military's early September strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat — the first salvo in a months-long string of attacks — has drawn new scrutiny in recent days, as the White House confirmed that the vessel was struck twice.

The confirmation followed a Washington Post report that the first boat was struck a second time, killing a pair of survivors — prompting calls for investigations and concerns in Congress that the follow-up strike may have constituted a war crime. A Pentagon manual on the law of war says combatants that are "wounded, sick, or shipwrecked" no longer pose a threat and should not be attacked.

The Trump administration has defended the series of boat strikes, casting them as a necessary tactic to stem the flow of narcotics from South America. But

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