WASHINGTON — President Trump publicly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday after Israel bombed Qatar’s capital Doha in a warning strike aimed at senior Hamas leaders.
Trump said he tried to order Israeli jets to turn around — after similarly doing so in June to uphold a cease-fire with Iran — but said this time the US learned “too late to stop the attack.”
“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after Israeli news outlets, including the Jerusalem Post and Israel’s Channel 12, cited their officials as saying the US gave a green light.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal,” Trump added.
“I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack. I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack.”
Trump wrote that he spoke with Netanyahu after the attack and that the Israeli leader “told me that he wants to make Peace.”
“I believe this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for PEACE,” the president went on.
“I also spoke to the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar, and thanked them for their support and friendship to our Country. 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 has been a longtime political ally of Netanyahu, with the pair engaging in elaborate public deceptions during June’s 12-Day War — complete with Trump feigning ignorance of Israel’s looming surprise attack on Iran’s nuclear sites and then manipulating news coverage with a decoy fleet of B-2 stealth bombers before the US intervened to drop “bunker buster” bombs.
But sources close to the Trump administration said that the president’s statement Tuesday wasn’t part of a similar stratagem, with one saying that the US leader was effectively calling Netanyahu a “liar” by dismissing his government’s leaks to the media.
Trump in May became the first American president to visit energy-rich Qatar and returned to the US with massive investment pledges and later a gifted $400 million “palace on wings” to use as an updated Air Force One.
In an official statement, the Israeli government said: “Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed the rift at a briefing Tuesday afternoon, saying that the US military detected the Israeli aircraft too late.
“The Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately, was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” Leavitt said.
“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States, that is working very hard, and greatly take risks with us to broker peace does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
Trump has backed Netanyahu strongly for years, but previously broke with him earlier this year over reports of starvation in the Gaza Strip, while also growing increasingly frustrated with the pace of the conflict’s peace process.
