As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces scrutiny over the strike on a vessel on September 2 and a inspector general's report about his use of the Signal messaging app in March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Hegseth had asked Admiral Alvin Holsey to resign, citing Holsey's concerns about the legality of the U.S. attack in the Caribbean.
Hegseth announced in October that Holsey would step down from his position as commander of the U.S. Southern Command, less than a year after taking office. The position oversees U.S. military operations in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, and typically has a three-year term.
According to The Wall Street Journal, citing former officials, the rift between Hegseth and Holsey began shortly after Donald Trump's inauguration. However, the conflict escalated after Holsey expressed concerns about the "vague legal authority" for the "vessel strike operation."
The Trump administration maintained that the strikes were in line with the laws of war and claimed the U.S. was engaged in an armed conflict with drug traffickers—a claim widely rejected by most legal experts. The Pentagon's own "Law of War Manual" explicitly states that it is not permissible to attack "injured, sick, or shipwrecked" individuals, which sparked significant controversy over the second round of strikes on September 2 — an operation that continued attacks after the initial strike failed to kill everyone on board, resulting in the deaths of survivors.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850590138953740/
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