The strike on a close US ally was Israels unilateral decision, the president has insisted

President Donald Trump has criticized Israel's airstrike on a Hamas compound in Doha, stressing that the decision to carry out the operation inside Qatar was made unilaterally by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not by Washington.

Around 15 Israeli warplanes fired at least ten munitions during the operation on Tuesday, reportedly killing several Hamas members, including the son of senior official Khalil al-Hayya. Hamas said its top leadership survived the attack, which it described as an attempt to assassinate negotiators working on a potential settlement.

In a statement posted Tuesday on Truth Social, Trump said the Israeli bombing inside "a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States" did not "advance Israel or America's goals."

"I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack," he wrote, emphasizing that the strike was "a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me."

Trump said that as soon as he was informed about the operation, he directed US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatari officials, but noted the alert came "too late to stop the attack." The president claimed that eliminating Hamas was a "worthy goal," but expressed hope that "this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for PEACE."

Trump has since spoken with Netanyahu, who told him he wanted to make peace, and with Qatari leaders, whom he thanked for their support and assured that "such a thing will not happen again on their soil."

Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, denounced the strike as an act of "state terrorism" and warned that the emirate "reserves the right to respond." He accused Netanyahu of undermining regional stability for personal gain and said the incident had derailed ongoing US-brokered mediation efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.

The White House called the strike an "unfortunate" incident. Trump said he has directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to finalize a Defense Cooperation Agreement with Qatar, which is designated a "major non-NATO ally."

(RT.com)