Adm. Frank M. Bradley saw the two survivors of a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat as legitimate military targets based on the rules for the operation, which may have identified them as narco terrorists, a defense official told NBC News. The military launched a second strike on the same bo at on Sept. 2, generating controversy over whether the second strike was legal or could potentially constitute a war crime. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night that Bradley, who at the time led the Joint Special Operations Command, concluded the survivors of the first strike were trying to continue a drug run, making them legitimate targets. NBC News has asked the Pentagon for comment on what Bradley plans to tell lawmakers as he briefs them on Thursday. Both the House and Senate have launched inquiries into the second strike, which killed the two survivors, according to officials. Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he did not see survivors after the first strike. “The thing was on fire,” he said during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “It was exploded in fire and smoke. You can’t see it.” Hegseth said “this is called the fog of war,” adding that while he watched the first strike live, he then moved onto other meetings and did not learn about the second strike until later. Katherine Doyle contributed. ...read more read less