US President Donald Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not inform him in advance of the Israeli attack on Qatar last week.
The Trump administration said that the notification came only after the missiles were already in the air, which left Trump no opportunity to object.
On the other hand, Axios, citing Israeli officials, reported that the White House knew about the attack in advance, although the time frame to prevent it would have been very short.
Recall that on Tuesday, Israel attempted to kill Hamas political leaders with an airstrike in Qatar, thereby further intensifying its military operations in the Middle East. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond, with warnings that it could further escalate tensions in the region.
Trump previously said that he was not involved in Israel’s decision to attack Qatar.
On Monday, he was asked if Netanyahu had personally warned him that Israel would attack Hamas leaders in Qatar, and he replied, “no, no, they didn’t.”
Netanyahu’s office reiterated after Axios’ report that the operation was a “completely independent” Israeli operation.
Washington is an ally of both Israel and Qatar, and Doha has been mediating efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
