‘Netanyahu is f—g me,’ Trump says after Qatar airstrikes: Report

‘Netanyahu is f—g me,’ Trump says after Qatar airstrikes: Report
US President Donald Trump hit out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for launching airstrikes on Qatar, the Wall Street Journal reported. (AFP)
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Updated 19 September 2025

‘Netanyahu is f—g me,’ Trump says after Qatar airstrikes: Report

‘Netanyahu is f—g me,’ Trump says after Qatar airstrikes: Report
  • Israel has ‘to be very, very careful … Qatar has been a great ally to the US’
  • Hamas negotiators in Doha targeted

LONDON: US President Donald Trump hit out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for launching airstrikes on Qatar, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Sources told the newspaper that the attack, which targeted Hamas negotiators, left Trump furious, telling US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “Netanyahu is f—g me.”

Trump added that he was “not happy” with Netanyahu, and that the attack “does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”

It is thought that Israel did not warn the White House in advance of the strikes, and afterward Trump called Netanyahu to make clear his displeasure.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said after the attack: “The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed.”

Trump said ahead of a state visit by Rubio to Israel earlier this week: “My message is that they (Israel) have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the US.”

During Rubio’s trip, Netanyahu said ties between the US and Israel were “as strong, as durable as the stones in the Western Wall.”


Israeli strike in Lebanon kills alleged arms smugglers

Updated 25 sec ago

Israeli strike in Lebanon kills alleged arms smugglers

Israeli strike in Lebanon kills alleged arms smugglers
The pair were from the town of Shebaa and hit while driving on a road on the slopes of Mount Hermon
“The terrorists were involved in smuggling weapons used by Hezbollah,” the Israeli military said

BEIRUT: An Israeli drone strike killed two Lebanese brothers in their car Saturday, according to Lebanon’s news agency, as Israel said it had hit arms smugglers from a group affiliated to Hezbollah.
The National News Agency report said the pair were from the town of Shebaa and hit while driving on a road on the slopes of Mount Hermon in southeastern Lebanon, “causing their SUV to catch fire and resulting in their deaths.”
The Israeli military confirmed that they had conducted a strike near Shebaa and killed two smugglers from the “Lebanese Resistance Brigades,” a group allied to the militant organization Hezbollah.
“The terrorists were involved in smuggling weapons used by Hezbollah and their activities constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the Israeli military said.
“The IDF (military) will continue to operate in order to remove any threat posed to the State of Israel,” it warned.
Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed the death toll.
A similar Israeli strike on Saturday morning on a car near a hospital in the southern city of Bint Jbeil wounded seven people, according to the ministry.
The latest strikes came as the European Union added its voice to international concern over Israel’s continued strikes despite its year-old ceasefire with Lebanon.
“Focus by all parties must be on preserving the ceasefire and the progress achieved so far,” the European Commission’s foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni said.
Israel argues that Lebanon is acting too slowly to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia and insists it has the right to carry out operations to protect its border and citizens from attack.
On Thursday it announced a series of strikes in southern Lebanon in advance, and urged civilians to evacuate the targeted areas.