After a heated exchange phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the Israeli strikes in Qatar that blindsided the White House, US President Donald Trump followed up to ask another question: Were the strikes successful?
Netanyahu’s answer, according to a Washington Journal report, was “I don’t know.”
Hours later, Hamas claimed that Israel’s targets survived the strikes, though six lower-level representatives were killed.
The response left officials in Washington puzzled and frustrated as Netanyahu not only failed to inform his closest ally before launching an unprecedented attack but also carried out the strikes on Qatari soil — a key mediator in US-led peace talks.
A senior administration official said Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel, is increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, who continually boxes him in with aggressive moves taken without US input that clash with Trump’s own Middle East goals.
Trump-Netanyahu fallout
The strike, which targeted senior Hamas political leaders in Doha, rattled the White House. Trump had learned of the operation not from Netanyahu, but through real-time military intelligence when the attack had already happened.
In a heated first call, Trump slammed Netanyahu, warning that hitting a US partner like Qatar, especially during truce negotiations, was a serious misstep, senior officials said.
Netanyahu responded that he had a brief window to launch the strikes and took the opportunity.
The Israeli airstrike killed six lower-level Hamas officials, but the group’s top leadership, who were believed to be the intended targets, reportedly survived, the militant group said.
Trump’s ‘peace’ agenda is in danger
Trump has made ending the war in Gaza a central pillar of his second-term foreign policy, pursuing a cease-fire and hostage-release deal brokered by Qatar. But he has also emphasised his support for Netanyahu’s military campaign to defeat Hamas.
Trump has made his desire to end conflicts-and claim a Nobel Peace Prize-a priority of his second term in office.
However, the Israeli strike prompted Hamas to break off cease-fire negotiations. Even worse for Trump, it infuriated Qatar’s leaders, who were mediating between Hamas and Israel in US-led peace talks.
“This clearly undermines Trump’s peace agenda,” said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, adding that Trump himself is partly at fault because of his “erratic approach” in the Middle East, which “creates space and openings for actors to do as they will.”
Netanyahu hits back
Despite the friction, Netanyahu isn’t backing down. In a fiery video statement released Wednesday, he defended Israel’s right to strike anywhere terrorists are sheltered.
“I say to Qatar and all nations that harbour terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will,” he said Wednesday in a video statement.