From PBS NewsHour.

As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran continues, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prayed for "overwhelming violence" against enemies during a Christian worship service at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

Hegseth recited a prayer that he said was read by a military chaplain to the troops who conducted the raid to capture then-President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela.

"Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation," he prayed. "Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."

Hegseth started a monthly Christian worship series last year at the Department of Defense. This service was the first since the war with Iran began.

Hegseth’s insertion of his Christian faith and rhetoric has come under scrutiny, including his interest in the Crusades, the medieval wars in which Christians tried to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit this week to enforce a public records request for internal communications about the monthly services. The group also filed a similar suit against the Labor Department.

Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.

Sign up for Here’s The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i
Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6

Follow us:
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews
X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour