Daijiworld Media Network - Doha

Doha, Sep 10: Qatar has strongly rejected Washington’s claim that it was warned in advance about Israel’s airstrikes on Doha, calling the remarks of the White House “baseless.”

Majed Al Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clarified that the first call from a US official came only after the explosions had already begun. “The statements being circulated about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance are baseless. The call from a US official came during the sound of explosions caused by the Israeli attack in Doha,” Al Ansari posted on X.

The denial came soon after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that President Donald Trump had directed Special Envoy Witkoff to alert Qatar about the “impending attack.” She underlined that the US views Qatar as a strong ally and regretted that Doha was targeted.

According to CNN, Israel launched an airstrike on a residential neighbourhood in Doha, targeting Hamas leaders based there. While Hamas confirmed five members were killed, the key negotiating team survived.

Reacting strongly, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani described Israel as a “rogue player” in the Middle East and termed the strike as “state terrorism.” He further alleged that the US contacted Doha only 10 minutes after the attack and claimed Israel used radar-evading weapons.

Israeli officials later confirmed that over 10 fighter jets were deployed in the operation. Reports suggest Israel used US-made F-35I stealth aircraft designed to avoid radar detection.