The Israeli military commentator Itay Blumental predicted that any potential Qatari response to the recent Israeli airstrike in Doha would be limited in scope and carried out through fighter jets, given that Qatar does not possess ballistic missiles.
Speaking on Israel’s Channel 11 (KAN), Blumental suggested that such strikes might pass through Saudi and Jordanian airspace to maximise effectiveness and reduce risks to Qatari territory. He stressed that the primary objective would be to send a deterrence message to Israel following its latest aggression.
According to Blumental, the implementation of any response would depend on a careful assessment of the situation, continuous coordination with regional partners, and close monitoring of the United States’ position to avoid an uncontrolled escalation.
This assessment came after remarks by Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who told CNN that his country “will respond to the Israeli attack” while noting that the details are still under discussion with Doha’s regional allies.
The Qatari Prime Minister emphasised that his country has never threatened Israel or its people, saying:
“Netanyahu always claims that we are under threat, while in reality we are protecting our countries and our peoples. None of our nations has threatened Israel or its people. So why does he claim to be the man of peace? We are at a critical moment in the Middle East, and his assertion that he is reshaping the region is extremely dangerous and totally unacceptable to us.”
Blumental further explained that statements made by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in which he declared Riyadh’s readiness to support any Qatari response against the Israeli occupation, reflect a high degree of regional coordination between Doha, Riyadh, and other allied states. This, he argued, strengthens Qatar’s ability to send both political and military signals without being drawn into a full-scale confrontation.
The analyst stressed that any Qatari move would be executed with precision to avoid direct confrontation, focusing instead on political and military deterrence against Israel. Meanwhile, Washington and the Gulf states continue to closely monitor developments, amid rising tensions following Israel’s recent raids. The balancing act, he noted, lies in maintaining deterrence while avoiding the outbreak of a wider regional war.
For its part, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the Israeli attack. Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum declared in a Thursday press conference:
“The crime of the Zionist entity is not only an assault on the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, but a barbaric declaration of war against all our Arab and Islamic nations. The Zionist entity is putting both regional and international security at grave risk.”
