ISRAEL - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out further strikes on Hamas leaders following last week's attack in Qatar, saying they would not have immunity "wherever they are".
Speaking at a joint press conference 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 - drew international outrage and criticism from US President Donald Trump. Hamas said six people were killed but that its leaders survived. 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".
When pressed on whether the US had any involvement in the strike, Netanyahu told journalists: "We did it on our own. Period." In response to a BBC question about whether the strike 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 the 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. The Qatari prime minister urged the international community to stop applying "double standards" and to punish Israel. Qatar hosts a major US airbase and has played a key role in brokering diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza, serving as a mediator of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel. It has hosted the Hamas political bureau since 2012. (BBC)
