Axios Report: Did Trump Hide His Knowledge of Israel's Strike on Doha?

An Axios report revealed a serious development that places former President Donald Trump's administration at the center of a political and diplomatic storm, after seven Israeli officials confirmed that the White House was aware in advance of the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, despite Trump's insistence on denying it.

According to the report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed Trump of the strike plans around 8 a.m. Washington time, about fifty minutes before the explosions occurred in Doha. Three Israeli officials confirmed that the discussion first took place at the political level between Netanyahu and Trump, and then through military channels, and that Israel would have canceled the attack had there been any objection from the White House.

However, Trump later denied having knowledge of the attack before it occurred, emphasizing that he was "not satisfied" with targeting Doha, given that Qatar is a key ally of the United States. Trump's statements contradict what senior Israeli officials revealed, as one admitted that "Washington was informed in a timely manner, and Trump could have stopped the strike but did not."

The matter does not stop at conflicting narratives but extends to a political trust crisis: on one hand, Trump appears as the president who allowed Israel to carry out a strike in the heart of a strategic Gulf ally's capital, and on the other hand, he seems to be covering up his prior knowledge of the operation to maintain his domestic image and a delicate balance in U.S.-Qatar relations.

As for Netanyahu, he insisted that the decision was "unilaterally Israeli," but he did not deny the prior notification to Trump. A third Israeli official clarified that Tel Aviv decided to align with the White House's denial of prior knowledge "in the interest of the relationship between Washington and Tel Aviv."