The Navy admiral who directed strikes against a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean Sea Sept. 2 will tell House and Senate lawmakers later Thursday he believed survivors of the initial US attack were trying to complete their deadly mission when he ordered follow-up strikes.

Adm. Frank Bradley, the head of US Special Operations Command, gave the final order for both the initial missile hit and several additional strikes that killed 11 people following a directive by War Secretary Pete Hegseth to destroy the boat and its narcotic cargo.

The Wall Street Journal, citing three Pentagon officials, reported that surveillance video of the operation did not reveal two survivors until an hour after the initial hit — after Hegseth says he stopped monitoring the video feed.

That left Bradl

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