Scoop: Netanyahu spoke to Trump before Israel bombed Qatar

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed President Trump last Tuesday morning that Israel planned to attack Hamas leaders in Qatar shortly before the strike took place, three Israeli officials with direct knowledge tell Axios.Friction point: The White House has claimed it was notified only after missiles were in the air, giving Trump no opportunity to oppose the strike. Seven Israeli officials tell Axios the White House knew earlier, even if the timeline to stop it would have been tight. Asked Tuesday evening whether he was notified in advance by Israel, Trump claimed he was not. He has publicly expressed disapproval over the attack because Qatar is a key U.S. ally. "As President Trump stated, the U.S. Military informed him of Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, and he immediately directed his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios. Breaking it down: The version of events U.S. officials laid out last week was that the U.S. 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.The White House said Witkoff rushed to warn the Qataris, but by then the missiles had already struck. Media outlets including Axios reported that Trump had not been consulted.Bombing a U.S. ally without consulting Washington would be an incredibly audacious move by Israel — particularly since the Hamas leadership had been gathering to discuss Trump's latest Gaza peace proposal.According to the Israeli officials, Netanyahu did inform the White House very late in the game, but it was early enough that the strike still could have been called off.Behind the scenes: Three Israeli officials told Axios Netanyahu called Trump about the impending strike around 8AM D.C. time. The first reports of explosions in Doha came at 8:51AM."Trump knew about the strike before the missiles were launched. First there was a discussion on the political level between Netanyahu and Trump, and afterwards through military channels. Trump didn't say no," a senior Israeli official claimed.A second senior Israeli official said the U.S. was notified "well in advance" on a political level. "If Trump had wanted to stop it, he could have. In practice, he didn't."Both officials said the missiles had not yet been fired when Trump and Netanyahu spoke, and claimed Israel would have called off the strike if Trump had objected to it.The White House did not address specific questions about the timeline. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment.Zoom in: The Israeli officials did not provide a detailed description of the Trump-Netanyahu call — whether, for example, Netanyahu simply told Trump of Israel's plans or explicitly sought his permission.It's also unclear whether Trump immediately alerted the relevant officials, some of whom were furious with Netanyahu in the aftermath of the strike.Netanyahu has said multiple times that the attack was a unilateral Israeli move, including at a press conference on Monday alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio will travel to Doha on Tuesday for talks with Qatari officials.Between the lines: A third Israeli official concurred that Israel had alerted the Trump administration in advance, but said Israel had decided to go along with the White House denials of prior knowledge."On our side, it was decided to help them with that for the sake of the U.S.-Israel relationship," the official said."The Americans are putting on a show. We updated them about the attack," a fourth Israeli official said.A fifth Israeli official said the Trump administration had clear reasons to distance itself from the strike. "What they say publicly should be taken with a grain of salt."A sixth Israeli official said it isn't the first time that the Trump administration "made things up" about their conversations with Israel due to political considerations.State of play: The strike in Doha rattled relations between the U.S. and Qatar, created tensions between the U.S. and Israel, and significantly increased Israel's regional and global isolation.Five Hamas members and one Qatari security officer were killed in the strike, but Hamas said its top leaders all survived.Israeli officials confirmed that to Axios, and said intelligence gathered after the strike indicated top leaders had left the building shortly before the explosions.

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