- Several explosions struck Doha during an Israeli air strike targeting Hamas leaders
- Israel confirmed the operation was independently initiated and fully conducted by its forces
- Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, in a post on X wrote, “This is a message to the entire Middle East”
Several explosions rocked Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Tuesday. The Israeli military has confirmed the air strikes in an operation targeting senior leaders of Palestinian group Hamas. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, in a post on X uploaded a video of an explosion in Doha, and wrote, "This is a message to the entire Middle East".
This is the first time Israel has launched an operation in Qatar. Per CNN, the strike was months in the making. "The IDF (Israeli military) and ISA (security agency) conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organisation," the military said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had claimed the attack as "wholly independent" after Israeli media reported the attack as one given a "green light" by US President Donald Trump. A statement from the PM's office said, "Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility."
Qatar has long served as the mediator in talks between Israel and Hamas as the latter's exiled leadership has been based there, even before the latest conflict in Gaza.
The attack came in the same week Trump had said that he was giving a "last warning" to Hamas for a ceasefire. Although the group called the warning a "humiliating surrender document", the group said it would respond.
Qatar has condemned the attack, terming it as a "cowardly Israeli attack" on the political headquarters of Hamas. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari called it a "flagrant violation of all international laws and norms."
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the attack by Israeli military saying that terrorists will never have immunity from Israel anywhere in the world, and praised IDF's decision and execution.
A White House official has confirmed that Israel informed the US about the attack in advance, according to AFP.
This is not the first time Ohana has made such a post. On 20th July, the IDF had launched an attack on Hudaydah Port in Al Hudaydah, Yemen, in response to Houthi attacks. Ohana had posted a video of the attack on X, with the same message, "This is a message to the entire Middle East".
