Democratic Congressman Eugene Vindman, a former army officer, says that Hegseth’s “no quarter” order to US troops amid the US-Israel war on Iran is illegal, Al Jazeera reports.

A “no quarter” order command means that no prisoners will be taken by an army, and that all enemy personnel — including those attempting to surrender — will be killed.

“No quarter orders are a violation of the law of war and Geneva Conventions,” Vindman has said in a post on social media, sharing a clip from Hegseth’s latest press briefing.

He added that the Pentagon chief “is establishing a pattern of issuing illegal orders”.

“I’ve trained hundreds of soldiers on the law of war — our service members have an obligation to follow that law,” said Vindman.

Hegseth previously said that he loosened what he called “stupid rules of engagement”, as the civilian death toll in the conflict mounts.