Qatar Bombing: Sans Military Strength, Financial Power is Worthless
Financial power - no matter how considerable, is worthless without military strength, which Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab States lack
In Qatar lies the largest U.S. military base in the entire Middle East—the Al Udeid Air Base in Al Rayyan. For two decades, the United States used this base to launch attacks on Afghanistan. It is also the site from which Israel (with U.S. backing) has sought overt and covert support to attack seven Muslim-majority countries since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel. Since then, Israel has displaced over a million Palestinians and killed more than 65,000, amidst an ongoing genocide.
Qatar, a wealthy Muslim nation, has aspired for a role as an arbiter in regional disputes. However, financial power - no matter how considerable, is worthless without military strength, which Qatar lacks.
Qatar relies on the U.S. base, as do most Middle Eastern oligarchies, to safeguard themselves. Otherwise, the specter of an Arab Spring, last orchestrated in 2010, perpetually looms as a threat.
Qatar facilitated negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and the U.S., leading to the U.S. withdrawal and a handover of government to the Taliban — the same group the U.S. had fought for twenty years.
Did the U.S. bomb and kill those Taliban negotiators? No.
At least the U.S. displayed some moral-military scruples, but the same cannot be said for Israel. Israel bombed Hamas negotiators in Doha, Qatar’s capital, who were there on September 9, 2025 at the invitation of the U.S. and Israel.
Reports suggest the Hamas leadership survived, with their second-tier leaders killed instead. However, what has baffled observers is the question of Qatari sovereignty.
Qatar, UAE, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - the frontline U.S. allies, and by implication, Israeli allies, hosted U.S. President Donald Trump last May, oblivious to the Palestinian genocide unfolding next door. These Arab states poured billions of USD into Trump.
In fact, this was a pre-scheduled funding intended to encourage the U.S. to support Israel in starting a war with Iran, which began on June 13 and, after 12 days, ended in a ceasefire but may restart at any moment.
Iran attacked the Al Udeid base, condemned the act later, and subsequently improved relations with Qatar. Iran did not attack any civilian hotel or building where U.S. military personnel were present, but Israel chose to kill Hamas leaders by luring them into so-called dialogue.
This is Israel’s modus operandi.
Unrepentant, as expected, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu — himself accused of corruption before October 7, 2023, has declared that Qatar supports and sponsors Hamas, and Israel will hunt Hamas leaders anywhere in the world. Could the U.S. or Israel do this if Hamas were hosted by Russia or China?
What is occurring now is all very much expected. According to Axios, Qatar’s Prime Minister Jassim Al Thani informed the White House that Qatar will reevaluate its security partnership with Washington after this “betrayal,” and Gulf leaders are discussing possible responses. Trump has demanded a commitment from Netanyahu not to strike Qatar again. But this is all eyewash.
Can the Qatari establishment not see through the absurdity — why would the U.S. track and strike its own F-35 stealth fighters, which it has itself supplied to Israel?
Trump wants a commitment from Israel, and Israel may give it, only to betray it later — this cat-and-mouse game will continue.
Qatar’s threat to seek other partners — namely Russia and China, has compelled Trump to act.
Trump is already preoccupied with supporting Ukraine President Zelensky against Russia in the ongoing war since February 2022. An enhancement in US–Qatar security cooperation is likely, and the situation may cool off in the interests of both the nations, and Israel as well.
There is no more room left for any doubt that Israel will again strike in Qatar or for that matter inside any Gulf state. It is already at war with Yemen. Killed its PM in a similar attack, killed top military and nuclear scientists inside Iran. Killed Ismail Hanyieh - the Chief of Hamas, Fawad Shukur - the top commander of Hezbollah and Hezbollah Chief Hasan Nasrullah in all such precision bombings.
This could happen solely due to the pivotal CIA/Mossad i.e. the US/Israel intelligence agencies, network and sleuths across the whole world, most notably in the Middle East. Ayman Al Zawahiri, second to Bin Laden, was on the balcony when a drone had him killed in 2022. All other occupants remained unharmed.
Netanyahu, in a televised message after the Doha killings, likened Israel’s actions to those of the U.S. when it hunted down Al-Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. He mentioned Pakistan three times, possibly as a prompt for India to attempt something similar in Pakistan. India and Pakistan went to war in May; after a brief conflict, a ceasefire brokered by Trump was reached, though India denies this.
Netanyahu has warned, “I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.”
He drew a parallel between the U.S. September 11, 2001 incident and Israel’s October 7, 2023 attack, suggesting that a similar response is warranted. Qatar is already in damage-control mode, with Al Thani scheduled to meet Trump in New York.
The idea of Greater Israel remains prominent which the U.S. administration has supported it for decades. Skeptics wonder: when Israel, with full U.S. backing, seems to know everything beyond its borders, how could it not foresee the October 7, 2023 attacks or locate the 48 hostages still held by Hamas? Is Israel aware of their whereabouts and using them as cover for its ongoing campaign in Gaza?
Israel has grand plans for the West Bank and seeks control of Al Aqsa mosque — the third holiest Islamic site, but experiences over the past two years have taught Israel a hard lesson.
No Muslim or Arab nation will defend Palestine. Only “strong condemnation” messages will emerge. No Arab or Turkish Army will ever arrive. Iran will attempt to defend, but Arab and Turkish governments support the US. Iran, which has been under U.S. sanctions for 55 years, may challenge the situation if Russia and China openly support it.
The situation is extremely volatile. Reports suggest Poland has shot down Russian drones in its airspace, though Russia denies it. NATO could invoke Article 5 against Russia at any moment, triggering World War III. We are dangerously close.
Ironically, the first world war saw the birth of the idea of Israel and the second its formation. Is the third leading to something else for Israel?
[The writer, Haider Abbas, is a former UP State Information Commissioner and writes on international issues.]
Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.
Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic
