US President Donald Trump on Monday denied a report in Axios which stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Trump last Tuesday morning that Israel planned to attack Hamas leaders in Qatar shortly before the strike took place.
Asked by a reporter whether Netanyahu spoke to him directly to alert him that Israel was going to be striking Hamas in Qatar, Trump replied, “No he didn't.”
The reporter then asked the President how he learned about the Israeli strike, to which Trump replied, “Same way you did.”
Responding to another question, Trump said that Netanyahu “won't be hitting Qatar again.”
On Sunday, Trump described Qatar as a “great ally” and said that Israel should “be careful” following the Israeli strike that targeted Hamas leaders in Doha.
Asked by a reporter what his message is to Netanyahu in the wake of the strike in Qatar, Trump responded, “They have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States. A lot of people don't know that.”
He added, “I told the Emir, who I think is a wonderful person, actually, I said, ‘You need better public relations because you don't really get the public relations.’”
“People talk of [Qatar] so badly, and they shouldn't be. Qatar has been a very great ally. So Israel and everybody else, we have to be careful. When we attack people, we have to be careful,” said Trump.
Trump told reporters on the day of the strike that he was “not thrilled” by it, but has also stressed the importance of continuing the efforts to bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.