The White House on Tuesday described Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, as an “unfortunate incident,” while acknowledging that the U.S. government had been notified in advance and defending that targeting the Islamist group remains a “worthy objective.”

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt explained at a press briefing that the U.S. military informed President Donald Trump’s administration before the strike, though she did not specify whether the notification came directly from Israel.

“Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close U.S. ally that works tirelessly and courageously with us to mediate peace, does not advance the objectives of Israel or the United States. Nevertheless, eliminating Hamas, which benefits from the suffering of Gaza’s people, is a worthy goal,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt added that Hamas leaders were present in Doha at the time of the strike and emphasized that Trump “considers Qatar a strong ally and friend,” expressing regret over the location of the attack.

Following the operation, Trump instructed his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to notify Qatar about the strike, and later spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari leaders Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, thanking them for “their support and friendship” and promising that “nothing like this will happen again on their soil.”

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The strike, Israel’s first on Qatari territory, targeted Hamas leadership members attending a meeting on the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza. According to Hamas, five of its members were killed, though none belonged to the negotiating delegation. Additionally, one Qatari security officer lost his life during the attack.

In a new sign of tensions between Mexico and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Mexican government stated on Tuesday that it did not participate in a recent operation that, according to the Agency, resulted in over 600 arrests of alleged Sinaloa Cartel members.

Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s Secretary of Security, addressed the matter during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily press briefing. He affirmed that while Mexico conducts permanent operations against the Sinaloa Cartel, it did not collaborate in the DEA’s reported operation.

“In Mexico, we have been carrying out relevant arrests on an ongoing basis related to the Sinaloa Cartel. Regarding an operation or major DEA operation involving Mexico, no, we have not conducted any joint operation,” the official stated.

The DEA announced on Monday that its operation led to 617 arrests and the seizure of 10 tons of drugs linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency said these actions took place across 23 U.S. jurisdictions and seven foreign locations, without specifying which ones.

CNN reached out to the DEA for further details about the operation and García Harfuch’s comments and is awaiting a response.

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Mexico’s distancing from this DEA operation, conducted between August 25 and 29, adds to other public disagreements between Mexican authorities and the Agency.

Sheinbaum and other officials have criticized the idea of U.S. institutions negotiating with alleged Mexican drug traffickers transferred to the United States to face justice. They have also denied that any formal agreement exists with the DEA for joint security operations.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday criticized the U.S. naval deployment in the Caribbean, allegedly aimed at combating drug trafficking, and warned that Colombia will not allow its territory to be used for a potential invasion of Venezuela.

“Colombia will not lend its territory for an invasion. How could we allow an invasion?” Petro said while attending the inauguration of an international police cooperation center in the Amazon city of Manaus, Brazil.

The Colombian president also emphasized that the U.S. military attack on a Venezuelan civilian vessel in the Caribbean, which allegedly carried drugs and resulted in eleven deaths, must be treated as a murder. He added that if South American countries do not protest such actions, they could face serious consequences in the future.