India, Sept. 11 -- After a heated exchange phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the Israeli strikes in Qatar that blindsided the White House, US President Donald Trump followed up to ask another question: Were the strikes successful?

Netanyahu's answer, according to a Washington Journal report, was "I don't know."

Hours later, Hamas claimed that Israel's targets survived the strikes, though six lower-level representatives were killed.

The response left officials in Washington puzzled and frustrated as Netanyahu not only failed to inform his closest ally before launching an unprecedented attack but also carried out the strikes on Qatari soil -- a key mediator in US-led peace talks.

A senior administration of...