President Trump on Tuesday said he wasn’t “thrilled” by Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, but he told reporters he wasn’t caught off guard when it happened.
“I’m not thrilled, I’m not thrilled about it,” he said. “I’m not thrilled about the whole situation, it’s not a good situation.
“But, I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down,” he added.
When asked if he was surprised by the attack, Trump said: “I’m never surprised by anything, especially when it comes to the Middle East.”
The president said he will give a full statement on the situation on Wednesday, adding that he was “very unhappy about every aspect.”
Earlier on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt read a statement from Trump in the press briefing, saying Israel’s strike in Qatar was not in the U.S.’s interests and that he “feels very bad” about the location of the attack.
The administration was notified of the strike by the U.S. military, Leavitt said, and the president directed special envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatari officials of the attack. Qatar has dismissed the comments, saying officials were informed once missiles hit the building.
Hostage talks stalled after Witkoff walked away from negotiations in July, with Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blaming each other for stalling negotiations.
The president spoke with Netanyahu after the attack and reiterated he wants “peace,” Leavitt said Tuesday.
Also while speaking with reporters Tuesday night, Trump said he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin “this week or early next week.”
