People on board the boat off the coast of Venezuela that was destroyed by the U.S. military last Tuesday were said to have survived an initial strike, according to two American officials familiar with the matter. They were then killed shortly after in a follow-up attack.

The boat was under U.S. surveillance for a significant period of time. Those on board apparently spotted the U.S. aerial assets and altered the vessel’s course. U.S. officials said the boat appeared to have turned back toward shore, after which it was subjected to multiple strikes. Three sources, including Sen. Rand Paul, said the boat was attacked by one or more drones.

A very small number of Senate and House staffers separately received highly classified briefings about the attack on Tuesday. No Senators or House members were in attendance, people familiar with the briefings told The Intercept.

Two officials familiar with the strike were left with the impression that more attacks in the Caribbean would be forthcoming in the weeks ahead.

Multiple sources say that Special Operations Command or SOCOM conducted the lethal operation. This is considered highly unusual given all the other military assets based in the region.

Colonel Allie Weiskopf, SOCOM’s director of public affairs, would not comment on the command’s involvement in the attack. “We don’t have anything for you,” she told The Intercept.

© The Intercept