Doha-Washington, D.C.: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally expressed regret to Qatar over the attack that took place in Doha earlier this month, according to Al Jazeera.
During a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, Netanyahu spoke by phone with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, offering apologies for the unintended incident.
A White House statement said Netanyahu expressed deep remorse over the death of a Qatari security officer caused inadvertently during Israel’s missile strike. He acknowledged that the attack, aimed at Hamas leaders during hostage negotiations, violated Qatar’s sovereignty and pledged that such incidents would not recur.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the U.S.-mediated call as an effort to resolve the complexities of Israeli aggression. At the outset of the call, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister thanked President Trump. The statement confirmed that Netanyahu promised no future attacks on Qatari territory and issued a clear apology.
Netanyahu also wrote on his official social media account: “I want to assure the Prime Minister of Qatar that our target was Hamas, not Qatar. Israel has no intention of infringing on your country’s sovereignty in the future.”
The September 9 attack killed a Qatari security officer along with five lower-level Hamas members, while senior Hamas leaders survived the strike.
Source: Al Jazeera.