Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President Donald Trump that Israel planned to attack Hamas leaders in Qatar before last week's strike occurred, Axios reported on Monday, citing seven Israeli officials.
The White House has said it was notified only after missiles were in the air, giving Trump no opportunity to oppose the strike, but Axios reported, citing the Israeli officials, that the Americans knew from earlier, even if the timeline to stop it would have been tight.
"Trump knew about the strike before the missiles were launched. First, there was a discussion on the political level between Netanyahu and Trump, followed by one through military channels. Trump didn't say no," one of the senior Israeli officials reportedly claimed.
Later, when asked by reporters at the White House if Israel had informed him about the strikes, the president stated "no" and added that "Israel won't be hitting Qatar."
Another official insisted that Trump was notified "well in advance" at a political level, with Trump "having the possibility to stop the attack if he [Trump] wanted."
The officials also explained to Axios that "the missiles were not fired when Netanyahu called Trump, giving enough time for the Americans to react."
Timeline of Israel's strike on Qatar
The Axios report added that three officials explained how Netanyahu called Trump around 8 a.m., with the first explosions in Doha being recorded at 8:51 a.m.
Axios also stated that the White House said Witkoff rushed to warn the Qataris, but by then the missiles had already struck.
US officials said that the US military saw Israeli jets in the air and sought an explanation from Israel, which did not arrive until airborne ballistic missiles were flying toward the Hamas compound in Doha.
In a Monday post on X, Netanyahu wrote that the strike in Doha was a "wholly independent" Israeli operation.
"Israel initiated it, carried it out, and takes full responsibility."