President Donald Trump has continued to back Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the face of escalating criticism over a follow-up strike on a suspected drug boat that his Pentagon chief says he supported but did not personally order.

Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting that he learned about the second strike after it happened, but defended the admiral he says authorized the follow-up attack that reportedly killed two survivors.

"I watched that first strike live. As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we`ve got a lot of things to do, so I didn`t stick around for the hour or two hours or whatever," Hegseth said.

He could not say how long the second strike occurred after the first and denounced the report that brought the incident to light over a claim that he issued a directive to leave no survivors.

The Trump administration is under increased scrutiny and facing criticism from lawmakers over its assault on alleged drug boats following the revelation that the U.S. military carried out a second, lethal strike on a vessel in the Caribbean, killing two survivors as they clung to the wreckage, and indications from the president that land targets in Venezuela are next.

"We`re going to start doing those strikes on land, too. You know, the land is much easier. It`s much easier. And we know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live. And we`re going to start doing that soon, too," Trump said on Dec. 2.

Trump turned to Hegseth to give the first report at his final Cabinet meeting of the year and told his embattled defense secretary "good job" after the remarks.

"We`ve only just begun striking narcoboats and putting narcoterrorists at the bottom of the ocean," a defiant Hegseth had said.

Hegseth declared that the president "always has our backs" and the Pentagon would "always have the back of our commanders."

Hegseth under scrutiny after report on second boat strike

The Pentagon chief came under fire last week after the Washington Post reported that he gave a directive to "kill everybody" on board a vessel in the Caribbean, calling it "fabricated" and "inflammatory." Trump told reporters afterward that he believed the defense secretary but would look into the allegation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged at a Dec. 1 news briefing that the strike did happen but said Adm. Frank M. Bradley gave the order and was "well within his authority to do so."

Trump said at the Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2 that he did not know about the second strike when he was asked because he relies on Hegseth for information and hinted at plans for the administration to begin targeting cartels in Venezuela.

"Pete was satisfied. Pete didn`t know about a second attack having to do with two people. And I guess Pete would have to speak to it," Trump said. "I can say this: I want those boats taken out. And if we have to, we`ll attack on land also, just like we attack on sea."

Hegseth said he oversaw the initial attack and learned "a couple of hours" later that Bradley had authorized a second strike on the boat, which he said he had the authority to do.

"Admiral Bradley made the correct decision to ultimately sink the boat and eliminate the threat. He sunk the boat... and eliminated the threat. And it was the right call, we have his back," Hegseth said.

He said earlier in the meeting that military officials "are doing the right things" and have had to make judgment calls.

"We always have the back of our commanders who are making decisions in difficult situations, and we do in this case and all these strikes," Hegseth said.

The U.S. has carried out strikes against at least 21 boats since early September, with the last known strike taking place in mid-November.

"We`ve had a bit of a pause because it`s hard to find boats to strike right now. Which is the entire point," Hegseth said at the start of the Cabinet meeting. "Deterrence has to matter. Not arrest and hand over and then do it again, the rinse and repeat approach of previous administrations."

Lawmakers leading the House and Senate Armed Services committees have said they`re reviewing the administration`s conduct to determine the circumstances surrounding the Sept. 2 attack and the second strike that some experts and legislators in both political parties have said would violate the law.

"Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious. And I agree that, that would be an illegal act," Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican and a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, said on "Face the Nation" on Nov. 30.

Several Democratic lawmakers said this week that the second strike could constitute a war crime. Others called for Hegseth`s resignation.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech ahead of the Cabinet meeting that Hegseth should release a full tape of the attack that includes the second strike. He also urged the Department of Defense to give lawmakers briefings on the operation.

"We need documentation. And we need the tapes. But we should go one step further. Secretary Hegseth should testify publicly before the committee, under oath, so that the American people can hear the facts," Schumer said.

At the Cabinet meeting, Hegseth said he couldn`t reveal sources and methods publicly but confirmed the U.S. military is confident that the boats are tied to drug cartels that the administration had designated as terrorist organizations.

"We know who`s on it, what they`re doing, what they`re carrying. All these white bales, they`re not Christmas gifts from Santa," Hegseth said. "And I have empowered them to make that call."