Scoop: Netanyahu spoke to Trump before Israel bombed Qatar

• Asked Tuesday evening whether he was notified in advance by Israel, Trump claimed he was not. He has publicly expressed disapproval over the attack because Qatar is a key U.S. ally.
• "As President Trump stated, the U.S. Military informed him of Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, and he immediately directed his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform Qatar," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios.

The latest: Trump again denied prior knowledge after this story published, claiming he found out about the attack when the public did.

Breaking it down: The version of events U.S. officials laid out last week was that the U.S. military saw Israeli jets in the air and sought an explanation from Israel, which did not arrive until airborne ballistic missiles were flying toward the Hamas compound in Doha.

• The White House said Witkoff rushed to warn the Qataris, but by then the missiles had already struck. Media outlets including Axios reported that Trump had not been consulted.
• Bombing a U.S. ally without consulting Washington would be an incredibly audacious move by Israel — particularly since the Hamas leadership had been gathering to discuss Trump's latest Gaza peace proposal.
• According to the Israeli officials, Netanyahu did inform the White House very late in the game, but it was early enough that the strike still could have been called off.

Behind the scenes: Three Israeli officials told Axios Netanyahu called Trump about the impending strike around 8AM D.C. time. The first reports of explosions in Doha came at 8:51AM.

• "Trump knew about the strike before the missiles were launched. First there was a discussion on the political level between Netanyahu and Trump, and afterwards through military channels. Trump didn't say no," a senior Israeli official claimed.
• A second senior Israeli official said the U.S. was notified "well in advance" on a political level. "If Trump had wanted to stop it, he could have. In practice, he didn't."
• Both officials said the missiles had not yet been fired when Trump and Netanyahu spoke, and claimed Israel would have called off the strike if Trump had objected to it.
• The White House did not address specific questions about the timeline. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment prior to publication or to respond to specific questions. After publication, it put out a statement in English saying "the White House rendition of events is correct" and Israel alone is responsible.

Zoom in: The Israeli officials did not provide a detailed description of the Trump-Netanyahu call — whether, for example, Netanyahu simply told Trump of Israel's plans or explicitly sought his permission.

• It's also unclear whether Trump immediately alerted the relevant officials, some of whom were furious with Netanyahu in the aftermath of the strike.

• Netanyahu has said multiple times that the attack was a unilateral Israeli move, including at a press conference on Monday alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio will travel to Doha on Tuesday for talks with Qatari officials.

Between the lines: A third Israeli official concurred that Israel had alerted the Trump administration in advance, but said Israel had decided to go along with the White House denials of prior knowledge.

• "On our side, it was decided to help them with that for the sake of the U.S.-Israel relationship," the official said.
• "The Americans are putting on a show. We updated them about the attack," a fourth Israeli official said.
• A fifth Israeli official said the Trump administration had clear reasons to distance itself from the strike. "What they say publicly should be taken with a grain of salt."
• A sixth Israeli official said it isn't the first time that the Trump administration "made things up" about their conversations with Israel due to political considerations.

The other side: "These anonymous Israeli sources making false accusations against the President of the United States and his Administration should smarten up," a U.S. official told Axios.

State of play: The strike in Doha rattled relations between the U.S. and Qatar, created tensions between the U.S. and Israel, and significantly increased Israel's regional and global isolation.

• Five Hamas members and one Qatari security officer were killed in the strike, but Hamas said its top leaders all survived.
• Israeli officials confirmed that to Axios, and said intelligence gathered after the strike indicated top leaders had left the building shortly before the explosions.

Editor's note: This story was updated with comments made after publication by Trump, a U.S. official, and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.