US will not release full Venezuela boat strike video, Hegseth says

17/12/2025 6:31

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday there are no plans to release the full unedited video of the September 2 strikes on a suspected drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean that fueled concerns about the Trump administration's plans for Venezuela.



Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted briefings on Tuesday for every member of the Senate and House of Representatives, responding to lawmakers' demands for more information about a 3-1/2-month campaign of more than 20 strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that have killed more than 80 people.



On Monday, the U.S. military struck three vessels in the Pacific, killing eight people.



"In keeping with long-standing Department of War policy, Department of Defense policy, of course we're not going to release a top-secret full unedited video of that to the general public," Hegseth told reporters on Capitol Hill.



Rubio said the administration would continue to engage with Congress, describing the mission as "highly successful."