Pete Hegseth said the United States military takes extensive precautions to avoid civilian casualties during combat operations, arguing that American forces go to extraordinary lengths to ensure civilians are not targeted during strikes.

Hegseth made the remarks while discussing how the United States evaluates military operations and investigates incidents when questions arise about civilian harm. He said the U.S. military carefully reviews its actions and conducts thorough investigations when necessary.

“No nation takes more precautions to ensure there's never targeting of civilians than the United States of America, from the boat strikes in the Caribbean, where every single strike is assessed, to these to this campaign here, no nation in the history of warfare has ever attempted in every way possible to avoid civilian casualties,” Hegseth said.

He said the level of scrutiny applied to American military operations is significant and often overlooked in public discussions about warfare.

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“And frankly, that's a point that just isn't appreciated enough,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth acknowledged that when incidents occur that raise concerns, the U.S. military reviews them carefully to determine what happened. He said those investigations are taken seriously and require time to complete.

“Where things happen that that need to be investigated. We will investigate to the to the to the question shouted in the back that it's not open source, is not the place to determine what did or did not happen,” Hegseth said.

He added that investigations conducted by the military are detailed processes that cannot be rushed.

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“We take things very, very seriously and investigate them thoroughly, which takes time, and which is why it does take time,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth contrasted the U.S. approach with what he described as tactics used by Iran and groups aligned with the Iranian regime. According to Hegseth, intelligence reports have shown Iranian-backed forces placing military assets in civilian areas.

“But ultimately, unlike Iran, who targets civilians indiscriminately, who we've seen in the Intel moving rocket launchers into civilian neighborhoods, near schools, near hospitals to try to prevent our ability to strike, that's how they operate,” Hegseth said.

He said those tactics include launching attacks toward civilian targets, which he described as a hallmark of terrorist groups.

“And then they set, you know, the targeting of drones and missiles toward civilian targets, hospitals, hotels, airports,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth pointed to U.S. Central Command, known as CENTCOM, as a source that has provided public information about such attacks.

“We've CENTCOM has been very good about putting that information out,” Hegseth said.

He said the tactics described reflect how extremist groups wage war by intentionally targeting civilians.

“That's how terrorist regimes fight. They target civilians. We do not,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth concluded by emphasizing that preventing civilian casualties remains a priority for U.S. leadership and military officials.

“And I can tell you this, this this administration and this pentagon focuses on that very, very closely,” Hegseth said.

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