US President Donald Trump had a heated phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he conveyed his "deep frustration" at being caught by surprise by Israel's strike on Hamas representatives in Qatar, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Senior US administration officials said in the exclusive report published on Wednesday that Trump told Netanyahu the decision to target political leaders of the Palestinian group in Doha, Qatar's capital, wasn't wise and that he "was angry to learn about the attack as it was occurring from the US military—rather than from Israel—and that it struck the territory of another US ally that was mediating negotiations on ending the Gaza war."
Netanyahu's response was that he had a brief window to launch the strikes and took the opportunity.
Following the exchange, a second call, which was cordial, took place, officials said. During this call, Trump asked Netanyahu if the attack had been successful, to which Netanyahu could not answer with certainty.
Later, Hamas confirmed that its leadership had survived the attack, while five members of the group and a Qatari security officer had died.
Trump frustrated with Netanyahu
Even though Trump is known to be a staunch supporter of Israel, he is increasingly becoming more frustrated with Netanyahu, who continually boxes him in with aggressive moves taken without US input that clash with Trump's own Middle East goals, according to the WSJ.
Similar reports suggested that White House officials have been growing frustrated with Netanyahu acting like a "madman" after striking Syria in July.
Qatar condemned the attack as a "cowardly act" and a blatant violation of international law, warning it would not tolerate Israel's "reckless behaviour."
The Gulf state, along with the US and Egypt, has been playing a central role in efforts to mediate an end to Israel's carnage in Gaza, which has killed more than 64,600 Palestinians since October 2023.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Wednesday that a collective regional response is being prepared to counter Israel’s attack on Doha, stressing that consultations are underway with Arab and Islamic partners.
"There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners in the region," Al Thani told CNN.
