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Israel carried out a strike against Hamas’ senior leadership on Tuesday in Doha, the Qatari capital, an Israeli and a U.S. official told NBC News.
The strike on the American ally and leading mediator in international disputes, most recently between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, marks a significant escalation in Israel’s multifront conflict in the region.
Loud explosions were heard in the city, where Hamas stations its headquarters outside of Gaza, eyewitnesses said. According to video verified by NBC News, smoke was seen over an area that is both residential and home to a number of foreign embassies.
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet intelligence agency said in a statement on X that they had carried out “a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a statement from his office on X calling it a “wholly independent Israeli operation” that targeted Hamas’ “top terrorist chieftains.”
“Israel takes full responsibility,” the statement said, while not confirming that the strike had been on Doha.
A senior Israeli official confirmed to NBC News that the IDF carried out an attack on Hamas leaders in Doha and that the joint statement referred to the Qatar attack.
The Qatari government condemned what it called a “cowardly Israeli attack” targeting Hamas’ headquarters.
“This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar,” the Qatari government said in a statement.
It said “it will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior, which continuously undermines the region’s security, or any action targeting its security and sovereignty.”
The bombing was swiftly condemned by the United Arab Emirates, which had seen a significant warming of ties with Israel in the last few years with the President Donald Trump-mediated Abraham Accords.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry described the bombing of Hamas’ so-called bureau of political affairs as “a dangerous assault on international law” and an “irresponsible escalation.”
Saudi Arabia, a regional power which Israel has sought to establish official relations with, also condemned the attack as “brutal.”
The U.S. Embassy issued a shelter-in-place order for their facilities after “reports of missile strikes occurring in Doha.”
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a militant group, said it holds Trump responsible for Israel’s “unbridled behavior,” noting that the attack came after the U.S. proposed a ceasefire deal.
This is the second time this year Qatar was hit with a strike as it plays the intermediary in the region’s larger geopolitical conflict. A U.S. military base in the country was hit by Iran in June after Israel conducted strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites.
Alexander Smith is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.
Tom Winter is NBC’s National Law Enforcement and Intelligence Correspondent.
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