While Israel conducted airstrikes against Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, US President Donald Trump attempted to disassociate his administration from the operation, adding that Israel made the decision independently.
"This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me," Trump announced on Truth Social.
He also added that even though Israel's unilateral attack in Qatar "doesn't move Israel or America forward," the target of "eliminating Hamas, who have benefited from the suffering of Gaza residents, is a goal worth pursuing."
Trump added that his Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, had reported to the Qatari authorities, but unfortunately, it was "too late to prevent the attack."
Previous accounts from the White House indicated that the Trump administration had cautioned Qatar ahead of the impending attack.
"President Trump immediately directed Special Envoy Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did." White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated in a press briefing.
The Qatari government dismissed the White House's version, holding that the communication came during the course of the strikes.
Majed Al Ansari, the Spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, posted the denial on X. “The statements being circulated about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are baseless. The communication received from one of the American officials came during the sound of explosions resulting from the Israeli attack in Doha,” he wrote.
The Israeli military carried out the airstrike on Hamas' leadership headquarters in Qatar on Tuesday as the group was reviewing a US ceasefire offer for Gaza, according to reports. None of Hamas' top officials were killed in the attack, the group said.
In an attempt to appease Qatar, Trump apologized over the incident and assured that no such attacks would be carried out in the future.
“I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the US, and feel very badly about the location of the attack. I assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil. I have directed Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to finalize the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Qatar,” Trump added.
The US President also had talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani after the strike.
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