US President Donald Trump’s staff has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, following Israel’s targeting of Hamas leadership in Qatar, is concerned that he wants to undermine negotiations toward a ceasefire and hostage-release deal.
The report in Politico quotes an unnamed source it describes as “close to the president’s national security team,” who says the Tuesday bombing against Hamas’s top brass in Doha may have been an intentional move to hinder the talks.
“Every time they’re making progress, it seems like he bombs someone,” the source says, according to Politico. “That’s why the president and his aides are so frustrated with Netanyahu.”
The source also told Politico that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with Qatari leaders about increasing defense cooperation between their two countries.
Trump has criticized the strike on Qatar, a US ally, and promised that it would not happen again, while also saying that killing Hamas leaders is a “worthy goal.” Hamas has claimed its leaders were not killed in the strike.
“That was the most publicly critical I’ve seen a Republican president be of an Israeli leader in quite some time,” the source told Politico, regarding Trump’s social media post following the attack.
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