Netanyahu does not rule out further attacks on Hamas leaders
NEWS
Express newspaper
15/09/2025 18:14
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out further attacks on Hamas leaders following last week’s attack on Qatar, saying they will not have immunity “wherever they are”.
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu said every country had the right “to defend itself beyond its borders.”
Israel’s decision to target Hamas leaders in Qatar – a close US ally – sparked international outrage and criticism from US President Donald Trump. Hamas said six people were killed but its leaders survived, the BBC reported.
Netanyahu’s comments come days after the White House said Trump had assured Qatar “that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”
Asked if the US had any involvement in the attack, Netanyahu told reporters: “We did it ourselves. Period.”
In response to a BBC question about whether the attack had damaged US relations in the region, Rubio said Washington maintained “strong relationships with our Gulf allies.”
The pair presented a broadly united front, even amid apparent tensions, with Rubio praising the two countries’ technological and cultural ties – and Netanyahu saying Israel “had no better ally”.
Their meeting comes as Arab leaders hold a summit in a show of support for Qatar. Qatar’s prime minister urged the international community to stop applying “double standards” and punish Israel.