According to a report by Axios, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally informed former US President Donald Trump nearly an hour before Israel launched airstrikes targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar, contradicting Trump’s public claims that he was only notified after the attack had begun. Reporter Barak Ravid cited at least three senior Israeli officials who confirmed that Netanyahu called Trump around 8 a.m. to brief him on the planned operation. A fourth official later clarified that the call was almost identical in content, with only a minor discrepancy in timing, occurring at 7:45 a.m.
Despite this, Trump has consistently maintained that he was not warned in advance, telling reporters, “No, no, they didn’t,” and asserting that he learned of the strikes only once the missiles were in the air. The Axios revelations, based on multiple Israeli sources, suggest that while the time window to intervene was very short, Trump was in fact informed by Netanyahu before the first bombs fell, directly challenging the Trump administration’s version of events.
The Israeli strike, executed on September 9, targeted the political leadership of Hamas in Qatar’s capital. Although five Hamas members were killed, they were not part of the group’s senior leadership, and the intended top leaders escaped. Additionally, a Qatari security officer lost his life in the operation. Conducted on the territory of a close US ally, the strike represented a significant escalation in Israel’s military approach and prompted immediate diplomatic concern across the Middle East.
Qatar strongly condemned the attack, calling it “a blatant violation of all international laws and norms” and warning that it posed a serious threat to the safety of its citizens. Arab governments convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation and address the potential for further destabilization in the region. For Washington, the strike placed the United States in a delicate position, caught between its close allies Israel and Qatar. Doha has been playing a central role as a mediator in ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages.
In public statements, Netanyahu defended the operation by referencing the United States’ own counterterrorism policies, particularly following the September 11 attacks. He argued that just as the US pledged to pursue terrorists wherever they might be, Israel had acted in a similar vein to neutralize threats emanating from Qatari soil. Netanyahu also reiterated that the operation was entirely independent, asserting that Israel alone decided on the strike. He further accused Qatar of providing support to Hamas, claiming that the country strengthened and hosted the group, thereby justifying Israel’s military action.
For Trump, the Axios report complicates his position, as it undermines his previous claims of being kept uninformed. While acknowledging Israel’s need to act against Hamas, Trump also emphasized the importance of Qatar as a reliable ally, cautioning that measures should be taken carefully to avoid escalating tensions in the region. The disclosure of Netanyahu’s early notification underscores the complex diplomatic balancing act faced by the United States, managing relations with both Israel and Qatar amid ongoing conflicts in Gaza.
