US President Donald Trump claimed in a statement that Israel’s recent attack on Qatar was a personal decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he had no role in it.
Trump considered this unilateral attack detrimental to the interests of Israel and the United States and emphasized that he had assured Qatari officials that such an attack would not be repeated on Qatari soil.
Trump stated that he had ordered General Michael Whittock, the commander of US forces, to inform Qatar of the Israeli attack, but this notification was delayed.
Referring to his conversation with the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar, he called the country a strong ally and friend of the United States and expressed regret over the attack.
In contrast, Scott Ritter, an analyst and former US intelligence officer, rejected Trump’s claims and said that due to the close cooperation between US Central Command (CENTCOM) and Israel, it is impossible for an attack by Israel to have been carried out without Washington’s knowledge; Ritter emphasized that the US was aware of the attack from the beginning.
