Charlie Savage

Because these rules are written for naval engagements between warships of nation states that have guns that

They're flying colors.

And if a ship wants to surrender, it can lower its colors and stop firing its guns, and then it's out of the fight.

But this is not a warship.

This is a speedboat that may or may not be carrying an illicit consumer product.

That's where it gets murkier.

Of course, even for that initial order to be lawful, this has to be an armed conflict, which very, very few people outside of the administration think it is.

And so if it's not an armed conflict, the first missile was murder, the second missile was murder, they were all unlawful.

The administration as a whole has defended the entire operation.

It is stressed that Hegseth did not specifically order the killing of the two initial survivors.

and has suggested that that is a misinterpretation of what happened.

Nevertheless, it has defended the actions of Admiral Bradley in ordering the follow-up strike, insisting it was lawful.

And that's the administration as a whole.

That said...

President Trump was asked about this by reporters, and he distanced himself from the second strike.

He said the first one was fine, including the fact that it was lethal, but he wouldn't have wanted the second one.

Well, why not?

The suggestion is he has some kind of discomfort with that follow-up strike.

Well...

The way it's supposed to work is the military commanders at each level of the chain are supposed to have staff judge advocate general officers, JAGs, who are advising them about the laws of war and what would cross the line.