Israel has said that its enemies they were not safe anywhere, a day after strikes targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar - a US ally - drew a rare rebuke from US President Donald Trump.
Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed that "Israel's long arm will act against its enemies anywhere", following yesterday's deadly attack on the Gulf state, which hosts a large US military base and has spearheaded repeated rounds of Gaza truce efforts.
"There is no place where they can hide," Mr Katz wrote on X, adding: "Everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre will be held fully accountable," referring to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the nearly two-year Gaza war."
The Israeli ambassador to the United States meanwhile said that if Israel did not kill Hamas leaders in an air strike on Qatar yesterday, it would succeed next time.
"Right now, we may be subject to a little bit of criticism. They'll get over it. And Israel is being changed for the better," Yechiel Leiter told Fox News' "Special Report" programme last night.
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Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday, escalating its military action in the Middle East in what the US described as a unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests.
The airstrike took place shortly after Hamas' armed wing claimed responsibility for a shooting on Monday that killed six people at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
The widely condemned Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating in negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
"If we didn't get them this time, we'll get them the next time," Leiter said.
Leader's son killed in strike
Hamas said five of its members had been killed in the attack, including the son of its exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. It said its top leaders survived.
A senior Israeli official said today that optimism about the results of the strike has turned to doubt.
Qatar, which said one of its security forces was killed in the attack, said Israel was treacherous and engaged in "state terrorism."
The attack generated a flurry of diplomacy between Arab states.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Qatar today, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein is also expected to visit Qatar today, while Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to arrive in Doha tomorrow, an official with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The visits, which were not previously scheduled, were a show of regional solidarity with Qatar following the Israeli strikes, the official said.
The European Commission will propose sanctioning extremist Israeli ministers and the suspension of trade-related measures in a European Union agreement with Israel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The proposals reflect growing EU criticism of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza and increased pressure on the bloc's executive body to take action.
The Doha airstrike followed an Israeli warning to Palestinians to leave Gaza City, an area once home to about a million people, as it tries to destroy what is left of Hamas.
Residents there expressed alarm the Doha strike might destroy chances for a ceasefire.
Trump says decision to strike Qatar was made by Netanyahu
Mr Trump said Israel's decision to strike Qatar was made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not by the Republican leader who added that a unilateral attack on Qatar does not serve American or Israeli interests.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike in Qatar, escalating its military action in the Middle East.
The strike was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could further escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Mr Trump said he directed US envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar the attack was coming but that it was too late to stop the strike.
However, Qatar contradicted such claims from the White House, saying reports it got a heads-up before the attack were false and a phone call from a US official came when blasts were already being heard in the Qatari capital, Doha.
"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America's goals," Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal."
He assured Qatar's leader that "such a thing will not happen again on their soil," Mr Trump said, adding he felt "very badly" about the location of the attack.
Mr Trump later told reporters in Washington he was "not thrilled" about the Israeli strike in Qatar.
"I'm not thrilled about it," Mr Trump said. "It's not a good situation but I will say this: We want the hostages back, but we're not thrilled about the way it went down today."
As Mr Trump made the comments, pro-Palestinian protesters who had gathered nearby chanted "Free free Palestine" and "stop arming genocide."
US ally Israel's assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people, internally displaced Gaza's entire population, and set off a starvation crisis.
Multiple rights experts and scholars say Israel's military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.
Israel says its actions amount to self-defense after an October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants in which 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel has also bombed Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen in the course of the Gaza conflict.
