Israel Strikes Hamas Headquarters in Qatar
An explosion at Hamas’ headquarters in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday is believed to be part of an Israeli assassination attempt on the terrorist organization’s leadership.
“Several blasts were heard in Qatar’s Doha on Tuesday,” reported Reuters, which added that “Smoke was seen rising over the Katara District in the capital.”
Axios’s Barak Ravid revealed on X that an Israeli official had told him that the explosions were the fruit of “an assassination operation against senior Hamas officials.”
Khalil al-Hayya, the chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, met with the Qatari prime minister in Doha on Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it had targeted Hamas’ “senior leadership” with a “precise strike.”
“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7th massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel,” read the statement.
CNN’s Jeremy Diamond characterized the attack as “an absolutely extraordinary moment” and reported that al-Hayya and other senior officials were among Israel’s targets, but said that it was too early to tell whether the strike had been successful.
The Qatari Government responded to the development with the following statement:
The State of Qatar strongly condemns, in the harshest terms, the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential compounds housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha. This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qatari citizens and residents in Qatar.
The Ministry affirms that security authorities, civil defense, and the relevant agencies immediately began handling the incident and taking the necessary measures to contain its consequences and ensure the safety of residents and surrounding areas.
While the State of Qatar strongly denounces this aggression, it also emphasizes that it will not tolerate such reckless Israeli behavior and the continued tampering with regional security, nor any action targeting its security and sovereignty. It further notes that investigations are underway at the highest level, and additional details will be announced as soon as they become available.
Watch above via CNN.
This is a developing story.
