'Israel Won't Attack Qatar Again': Trump Denies Reports Of Knowledge Prior To Strike
Trump said on Monday that he had no such knowledge of the attack and was notified only after the airstrike landed in Qatar.
Denying reports he had prior information about last week's attack, US President Donald Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not attack Qatar again.
"He won't be hitting in Qatar," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, which comes on the back of Netanyahu failing to rule out further strikes during a meeting with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in Jerusalem.
On Sept. 9, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) conducted an airstrike in the Leqtaifiya district of Qatar's capital, Doha.
The airstrike targeted the Hamas leadership in a Qatari government residential complex.
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Angered by the attack, Arab leaders in the region met to weigh a response to Israel, the New York Times reported.
Trump, meanwhile, denied an Axios report that claimed Netanyahu had informed the US President, shortly ahead of the Qatar strike.
Trump said on Monday that he had no such knowledge of the attack and was notified only after the airstrike landed in Qatar.
Axios, citing Israeli officers, reported that the US government was made aware of the strike, even though the window to make an intervention was small.
When asked whether or not Netanyahu called him up before the Qatar strike, Trump said, "No, no, they didn't."
Netanyahu's office also reiterated that the strike was a "wholly independent Israeli" operation, thus denying any involvement from the US.
Qatar is a key strategic player in the Middle East and a crucial ally of the United States. It has played a key role in brokering diplomatic efforts to end the war, serving as a mediator of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, BBC reported.
