US says Israel alliance unchanged despite Qatar strikes

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed Washington is “not happy” about Israeli air strikes that targeted Hamas in Qatar, but stressed the attack will not alter America’s alliance with Israel.

The unprovoked raids on Tuesday – Israel’s first on US ally Qatar – have been condemned in the region and strained diplomatic efforts to push forward a truce in Gaza.

“What’s happened has happened. Obviously, we were not happy about it, the president was not happy about it,” Rubio told reporters before leaving Washington for talks in Israel.

“It’s not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis, but we are going to have to talk about it - primarily, what impact does this have” on ceasefire efforts, he added.