'Blatant attack': Qatar PM warns of right to respond after Israeli strike on Doha; demands regional response

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani warned on Tuesday that his country reserves the right to respond after an Israeli strike hit Doha earlier during the day, killing six people including a Qatari security officer.“Qatar... reserves the right to respond to this blatant attack,” said the PM at a press conference.“We believe that today we have reached a pivotal moment. There must be a response from the entire region to such barbaric actions,” he added, as quoted by AFP. Advisor to the prime minister and official spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs of Qatar Al Ansari also rejected claims that Doha had prior knowledge of the attack.

In a post on X, he wrote, “The statements being circulated about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are baseless. The call from a US official came during the sound of explosions caused by the Israeli attack in Doha.”Qatari authorities denounced the attack as a violation of sovereignty. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the country would “not tolerate reckless Israeli behavior.” He added, “The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha.”

Israel confirmed responsibility for the operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a post on X, “Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”The attack, described by Doha as a “cowardly assault,” has heightened tensions and drawn sharp condemnation across the region.