Following reports of major explosions in Doha on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it carried out a “precise strike” against Hamas senior leadership.
Strikes into Qatar represent a shift in Israeli strategy, expanding the kill campaign against Hamas beyond the usual battlespaces.
The Israel Defense Forces said that the airstrike was carried out using unspecified aircraft and was done alongside the Shin Bet internal security agency.
“Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence,” the IDF said in a statement, adding that it ” will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7 massacre.”
Moments before the Israeli statement, explosions were reported in Doha, Qatar’s capital and a major regional business hub.
Qatar hosts the US military’s largest installation in the Middle East, the Al Udeid Air Base, which Iran targeted with missiles in June. Business Insider asked the White House if the US was aware of the Israeli strikes ahead of time, but has yet to receive a response.
The Israeli strike marks a major escalation in the long and devastating war between Israel and Hamas, nearing its two-year mark, and is a rare instance where Israel has attempted to carry out an assassination of Hamas members beyond the embattled Gaza Strip.
Israel is believed to be behind the July 2024 assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’ political wing, in Tehran. Israel has also targeted foes in Lebanon and Yemen.
Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned Tuesday’s airstrike, calling it a “cowardly” attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the strike “was a wholly independent Israeli operation. Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
