The Israeli strike in Doha puts US Middle East strategy in an extremely precarious position.
This is not normal. This morning, Washington time, we were greeted by news of Israeli air strikes in Doha targeting the senior leadership of Hamas. Since the United States has its regional military headquarters at Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, less than 30 miles from the buildings that the Israel Defense Forces targeted, it seemed to many observers that President Trump must have greenlit the Israeli action. If true, that would constitute a massive breach of trust not only with Qatar but also with the other Gulf Arab states, which have long viewed the United States as a trusted security partner.
Hours after the strike, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to distance the Trump administration from the strike, without quite condemning it. According to Leavitt, US special envoy Steven Witkoff had informed Qatari officials shortly beforehand. President Trump later affirmed this version of events on Truth Social. However, the Qatari Foreign Ministry stated that the call to Qatari officials was received just as the explosions started, not in advance of the strikes.
While several top Hamas leaders survived, others like Humam al-Hayya, the son of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, and three other Hamas officials, were killed in the attacks. A Qatari security force member and al-Hayya’s office manager were also among the dead. Most astounding of all, Leavitt said the White House had learned of the Israeli strike from the US military, not from Israeli officials. Leavitt also said President Trump had spoken to Emir Tamim of Qatar and pledged that this would not happen again.
Shortly thereafter, Israeli officials told Israel’s Channel 12 news that President Trump had, in fact, given Israel a green light for the operation. A White House official also told AFP that “We were informed in advance.” It is plausible that these discrepancies are due to differing perceptions of whether US consent was obtained, or which US officials were informed and when. However, regardless of the actual sequence of events, nothing about this is normal.
The implications for US interests here are profound. If the United States greenlighted a strike on Qatari soil by Israel, right near an American base, it would be seen as a major breach of trust, which would undermine the longstanding US role as the main security partner for the Gulf Arab states. This is not analogous to Israel’s 1985 strike against the PLO in Tunisia, which had reasonably friendly relations with the United States, but hosted no US bases and was not in any way central to US interests.
It is also important to note that other Gulf Arab governments have expressed outrage at the Israeli action and expressed unqualified solidarity with Qatar, including some that often have disagreements with Doha. For the GCC states, this is also an economic issue, as the perception of the Arabian Peninsula (excluding Yemen) as a safe destination for foreigners to visit and invest is critical to plans for economic diversification away from hydrocarbon exports.
If this move by Israel was not genuinely greenlighted by the United States, it could perhaps be somewhat similar to what happened with Iran on June 13, when Jerusalem had told Washington that it was going to take action without really asking for a green light, and then moved forward while President Trump initially tried to avoid US participation. If the White House really did not have any warning, that would be very troubling.
It is very clear that Netanyahu does not want a deal to end the war in Gaza, despite the views of much of the Israeli security establishment and of many of the Israeli hostages’ families. President Trump and Witkoff seem to have been making a genuine effort for a deal to release all hostages and end the conflict with mediation from Gershon Baskin, a veteran Israeli peace activist and Netanyahu detractor. When the strikes were carried out today, Hamas officials were meeting in Doha to consider the current plan from the United States, in light of President Trump’s very blunt ultimatum to take it.
This strike seems intended by Netanyahu to preclude the possibility of Hamas giving a positive answer to Trump’s terms. Netanyahu and his hard-right ministers are close to achieving their goal of leveling Gaza City, the last inhabitable part of Gaza, and they are not about to let Trump get in their way.
Even with the facts still murky, it is clear from Karoline Leavitt’s statements that the White House was to some extent blindsided by this. It is not in the American interest for Israel to act flagrantly outside international norms in relation to key US partners like Qatar. President Trump needs to stage an intervention with Netanyahu, making clear that the United States has interests in the region other than Israel, and that continued cooperation is contingent on close coordination.
This strike puts the US even further than before from the strategic goal of forging closer links between Israel and the Gulf Arabs through the Abraham Accords and balancing against Iran. It also implies that the United States could be blindsided again in the near future if Netanyahu undertakes major gambits without coordinating with Washington, especially as it relates to the next moves on the chessboard with Iran. President Trump needs to make good on his promise to put America First, which means not allowing himself to be played like a fool as he was this morning.
About the Author: Greg Priddy
Greg Priddy is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest and does consulting work related to political risk for the energy sector and financial clients. Previously, he served as the director of global oil at Eurasia Group and worked at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Image: Noam Galai / Shutterstock.com.
