TEL AVIV — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must have been reassured after his joint press conference Monday with visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Despite President Donald Trump making clear on Sunday that the White House was displeased over Israel’s aerial strike in Doha last week, Rubio refrained from openly criticizing the Israeli government’s operation.

Asked about Washington’s response to Israel’s attempt to eliminate Hamas leaders in Doha, Rubio replied, “We are focused on now, on what could happen next. What role could Qatar possibly play in reaching an outcome here?”

The Washington Post reported Monday that following his visit to Israel, Rubio is scheduled to travel to Qatar.

While stopping short of offering explicit backing for Israel’s expected operation to seize Gaza City, Rubio acknowledged that defeating Hamas might require military force. "We have to be prepared to the fact that savage terrorists don’t normally agree to things like that … but it may require ultimately a concise military operation to eliminate them. We have to remember who we are dealing with," he said.