Trump Denies Advance Warning on Israel’s Qatar Strike

• By Thetripurapost Web Desk, Washington
• Sep 16, 2025
• 441

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he was not informed in advance by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel’s deadly strike in Qatar last week targeting Hamas leaders.

Trump’s comments came after Axios reported that Netanyahu had notified him “shortly ahead of time” before the missiles were launched. According to U.S. officials, however, the Trump administration was informed only after the attack was already underway, leaving the president no chance to intervene.

When pressed on whether Netanyahu personally warned him, Trump was unequivocal: “No, no, they didn’t.”

Netanyahu’s office, in response to the controversy, insisted that the strike was a “wholly independent” Israeli operation and that Israel takes full responsibility for the decision.

The attack — an attempt to assassinate senior Hamas political leaders in Doha — has been condemned across the Middle East and internationally, raising fears of further destabilization in an already volatile region. Washington faces an awkward position as both Israel and Qatar are key allies; Doha has also played a central role as mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks.

The strike comes against the backdrop of Israel’s broader war in Gaza, which began after Hamas’s October 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. Since then, Israeli operations have killed tens of thousands in Gaza, displaced the entire population, and triggered warnings of genocide from international rights experts. Israel rejects those allegations, insisting its actions are self-defense.

Beyond Gaza, Israel has also expanded military action into Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen, escalating tensions across the region.