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Israeli Strike Targets Hamas Leadership in Qatar. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired September 09, 2025 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London, picking up with more on our breaking news

this hour.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel takes full responsibility for a strike targeting Hamas leadership in Qatar's capital

of Doha.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE (voice-over): You can see here smoke rising near Doha's Pearl Gateway Towers. Israel's military issuing a statement, saying it targeted

senior leadership of Hamas with a precise strike in a joint operation with the Shin Bet Security Agency.

[10:25:00]

Hamas leadership has been operating out of Qatar, which has been, for months, has been working to mediate a ceasefire for Gaza. I want to go

straight out to CNN producer Andrew Potter, who's in Doha and is joining us now on the line.

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MACFARLANE: Andrew, we're hearing that this attack took place in a residential area. We're seeing social media video here of smoke rising from

a particular area of Doha.

Can you tell us what you've been seeing, what you've been hearing and what you know of the area where this attack took place?

ANDREW POTTER, CNN PRODUCER: Well, the explosions took place just over 1.5 hours ago. And what sounded, at least in central Doha, what we heard was a

series of muffled explosions, loud enough to rattle the windows of my apartment, even though I was about three miles away from where the blast

took place.

I'm much closer to that now. And we know that the explosions took place near the West Bay Lagoon area. It's not downtown Doha. It's a residential

area which is home to many families and many of them expatriate families living here.

But it's also where a large building is located that's well known to people in this area as having been home to Hamas representatives in Qatar. Now

that building sits very close to a large gas station. It's almost next door.

And from what we can see, the entrance to that Hamas building appears to have been blackened by this attack. The U.S. embassy in Qatar issued a

shelter-in-place order for all its facilities in Qatar, seeing it -- saying it has seen reports of a missile strike occurring in Doha and advising all

U.S. citizens to shelter in place.

Now we shouldn't forget that Al-Udeid air base sits just outside Doha and that's home to many thousands of U.S. military personnel. In fact,

president Trump visited that base in the city in May.

Now the state of Qatar strongly condemned the attack, issuing a statement calling it cowardly and a criminal assault, which constitutes a blatant

violation of all international laws and norms.

MACFARLANE: Andrew, you mentioned there that the area where this attack took place was a residential area, home to many expats, many different

nationalities.

Can you tell us more about the people there and how people have been reacting to this?

Because, clearly, you know, many would, I assume, be in a state of shock. It is quite unprecedented to see this happening in Doha in this way.

POTTER: Well, yes, the West Bay Lagoon is a fairly upscale area of Doha. It is where a lot of expatriate families come and live. They can have a

nice residential life there on the water and it is quite a sought-after place to be, to reside, for people coming to Doha to live.

But it has been known that Hamas HQ is in that neighborhood and that's been known for quite a long time. And as I say, it sits right beside a very

large gas station. So the people I've been talking to here have expressed shock about this.

Don't forget, just a few months ago, there was a missile attack from Iran on Doha. And a lot of people who have moved here thought that was kind of

the end of any kind of that kind of violence in this country.

But, yes; we heard those explosions earlier, as I say, a series of muffled explosions, which would suggest a number of explosions over about 10

seconds from what I -- from what I heard. And people here are just really wondering if this is the start or, you know, if this is one attack and it's

finished.

MACFARLANE: All right, Andrew. For now, thank you very much. We'll, of course, continue to keep in touch with you there on the ground.

But I want to take you now to read an official IDF statement that has just come in.

It reads, "The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization.

For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organizations operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October

massacre and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the state of Israel.

Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional

intelligence. The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the

October 7th massacre."

Well, in order to respond to all of this, I want to bring in Mairav Zonszein. She is a senior Israel analyst for the International Crisis

Group, joining us now live from Tel Aviv.

Thanks for joining us. First of all, I just want to get your reaction here to what has happened, seismic attack in the center of Doha, in what appears

to be quite an unprecedented attack.

Your response?

MAIRAV ZONSZEIN, SENIOR ISRAEL ANALYST, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: I mean, I think the main thing here is that the talk of a Trump proposal for

a ceasefire and hostage deal was clearly a ruse.

The last few days, the idea that there would be some kind of renewed negotiation was all theater. Israel and the U.S. clearly coordinated the

strike. And so Israel has sent a very clear message that it's not interested in negotiation.

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It's once again killed the negotiators in the middle of what was supposed to be a negotiation. And this -- and this is what we have. We have the

killing of people, who were supposed to be the ones to negotiate a hostage deal. So the immediate effect will probably be that the hostages could very

well be imperiled.

MACFARLANE: Yes. And the timing of this is a huge question here, you know, carrying out this strike now, when, as we understand it, you know, from

U.S. sources and from Qatari sources, there was a push to, you know, for -- to Hamas to agree to this ceasefire deal that was renewed and is back on

the table.

Where does this leave any hope now of any sort of negotiation?

ZONSZEIN: The negotiations are dead. There are no negotiations. And the last few days of reports, like I said, were theater. And some of us keep

falling for it. We keep falling for it.

I mean, Israel did something very similar when the U.S. was holding talks with Iran a few months ago and then it bombed in Tehran. So it's a very

similar pattern. You know, Israel has done this many, many times. It's bombing capitals across the Middle East.

And I think the real question then is what is the strategic value of this?

It's not going to bring a hostage deal closer. It's presumably possible that some of the hostages left alive are already dying off. I would say

that, going forward, people should take with a massive grain of salt that there actually is any hope for any kind of negotiation or that the hostages

will ever return.

I mean, this is a very clear position by Israel that that's not an issue. And Hamas has lost more and more of its leadership. The leverage that the

hostages have given it no longer seems to matter.

MACFARLANE: What does it say to you that the U.S. had knowledge of this attack before it happened, especially in light of Donald Trump's threats in

recent days to Hamas, to agree to take that ceasefire deal on the table?

You know, the idea that they had knowledge of this or maybe even sanctioned it.

ZONSZEIN: Yes. I mean, it seems like the U.S. and Israel are working hand in hand. The U.S. is not an honest broker. Witkoff is not somebody who you

can rely on to strike a deal. And they've been deceiving their counterparts in negotiations over and over again.

Like I said, they've done it in Iran. Now they're doing it with Hamas.

And in general, the U.S.' actions, both in terms of helping Israel in its offensive in Gaza, which has killed thousands of people, and also its

sanctions now on the Palestinian Authority ahead of the UNGA, these are all actions that are not just passive but active support in Israel's offensive

on the Palestinian people.

And so I think we should see that Israel and the U.S. are working together and that Trump is not actually interested in peace, as he talks about. He's

clearly not going for that with this kind of move.

MACFARLANE: I mean, you mentioned that Israel have carried out attacks like this in the past. We know Ismail Haniyeh, another Hamas figure, was

targeted, killed in Tehran in July of 2024.

But for Israel to target Hamas in a Gulf nation, in this way, you know, in a territory of an apparent allied nation, just how unprecedented is this

for Israel to act in that way?

ZONSZEIN: Well, I wouldn't call Qatar an ally of Israel, certainly an ally of the U.S. But I would say that, you know, there are no red lines. That's

something I think we've learned very clearly over the last two years.

And Israel has done this in many different places and it could still try to do this in Cairo, in Istanbul, as well, where Hamas officials also spend

their time.

So I just -- I'd like to say that I'm shocked but Israel has done this many, many times over. And it's, in general, been violating all kinds of

international laws in the last two years. So unfortunately, I just can't say that I'm surprised.

But again, I think, you know, the question is, what gain?

What will Israel gain strategically from this move?

MACFARLANE: Mairav Zonszein, we appreciate you being with us this hour. We'll, of course, continue to keep in touch.

And we'll be back after this quick break with more breaking news out of Qatar. Stay with us.

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Christina Macfarlane. We're turning back to our breaking news this hour.

The Israeli military has carried out a strike targeting Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital, Doha. We are getting new social media video in of the

moments just after the bomb fell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE (voice-over): An Israeli source says the United States was informed of the operation, dubbed "Summit of Fire."

But Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it was wholly independent operation. The Qatari foreign ministry tells CNN, Israel

attacked residential buildings housing Hamas and are calling the strike a criminal assault.

Hamas met with the Qatari prime minister just yesterday to discuss new ceasefire proposals, efforts that were being driven by the United States.

Jeremy Diamond is with us live from Jerusalem.

And Jeremy, as I was just saying, we just had that statement from the IDF.

What more are you learning about the attack, where it happened, how it happened?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a seismic moment in the region right now. The Israeli military carrying out a strike

in the Qatari capital of Doha, to try and assassinate Hamas political leadership in their political bureaus in that capital.

And when you look at the individuals who were likely targeted here, foremost among them is Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas' leader, who has also been

the group's chief negotiator for nearly two years, throughout the entirety of this war.

And it comes as the United States had just put on the table a new effort to try and secure the release of the 48 hostages still being held by Hamas

inside the Gaza Strip and ultimately to lead to a ceasefire and an end of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Khalil al-Hayya was the key interlocutor on the other side in order to try and reach that agreement. And in fact, a senior Hamas official tells us

that Hamas' leaders in the Qatari capital were in the midst of discussing this latest U.S. ceasefire proposal at the moment when the Israeli military

carried out this strike.

The Israeli prime minister's office has also put out a statement saying that these actions were against, quote, "the top terrorist chieftains of

Hamas."

And they say that it was a wholly independent Israeli operation.

They say, quote, "Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it and Israel takes full responsibility."

That statement likely to be in order to avert any suspicion of U.S. involvement in this strike. And the reason for that is that Qatar, it's

important to remember, is a U.S. ally. There is -- there is a major American military base in Qatar and, in fact, an Israeli official is

telling us that the United States was informed ahead of this strike.

And that obviously raises enormous questions about whether Qatar was aware of this strike, given its position, once again, not only as a host to

Hamas' political bureau but also as a key ally of the United States.

This is, as we've already been seeing, these statements of condemnation not only from the Qataris but also from key Arab leaders across the region.

This is obviously going to do a lot of damage to Israel's relations, not only with Doha, which has been the key intermediary throughout the war in

Gaza.

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But also potentially doing damage to Israel's relations with other Arab countries in the region as well.

We've already just seen condemnation from Jordan, for example, and others in the region as well. So a seismic moment here and one that, of course,

raises huge questions about the timing of this strike, amid this latest push for a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal.

As the Israeli military is ramping up its assault on Gaza City, raising major questions about the future of the war in Gaza and the fate of those

hostages still being held over there.

MACFARLANE: Jeremy Diamond, for now live from Jerusalem. Thank you. The timing of all this, of course, a very big question we need to get to. But

first, Nada Bashir joining me here.

I just want to ask about Qatar's response. So far, they've obviously come out, they've called this criminal.

What else have they had to say?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We've heard a very firm statement from the spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry, as you

mentioned, describing this as a cowardly attack, identifying Israel as being the perpetrator behind this attack. They have accused Israel of

targeting residential buildings.

Crucially, that had been housing several members of Hamas' political bureau. That has long been an arrangement of Qatar, of course, hosting

Hamas officials. That has been something that has been understood by their close U.S. allies as well. They have played that key mediatory role for

several years now.

When it comes to Hamas' political dealings, they have said that this, in their words, criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all

international laws and norms. And they've also said that it poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris, of course, in the country.

And that is the concern here. This has happened, of course, somewhat unprecedentedly and this is, of course, happening in a residential area. So

raising huge concerns for their security, particularly given the fact that Qatar has played such a key role in being a mediator between the two

parties.

It's such a close ally to the United States, hosting one of the U.S.' biggest military bases in the region. In fact, so clearly this has raised

concern. But, of course, it's not just Qatar that is now raising concern, as you heard from Jeremy there, its regional leaders, even the U.N.

secretary general now.

MACFARLANE: Yes. And when you consider as well many different nationalities living in Doha, this will go far beyond just Qatar itself.

Nada, thank you.

We'll be back with more after this quick news -- quick break. Stay with us. Breaking news.

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MACFARLANE: You are seeing images of smoke rising near Doha's Pearl Gateway Towers. Israel's military issuing a statement, saying it targeted

senior leadership of Hamas with a precise strike in a joint operation with the Shin Bet Security Agency.

Hamas leadership has been operating out of Qatar, which has been, for months, been working to mediate a ceasefire for Gaza. Well, that is the

breaking news we are following this hour.

[10:45:00]

Let's bring in our chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward.

And Clarissa, as we digest the information coming into us, the responses from the region, the big question emerging is, why now?

What is prompted this to happen in this way now?

You know, for Israel to carry out this strike as there was a renewed push toward that renewed ceasefire deal on the table by the U.S., and what

strategically Israel really hoped to gain from this.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's absolutely the question.

Why now?

According to some sources, there really was a renewed push and a inflection point being reached in terms of Hamas agreeing to some of the terms that

the Americans have put on the table with regards to a ceasefire negotiation.

I think it's difficult to answer the question of why now without speculating.

But certainly the even more pressing question becomes, what happens next?

Because this would appear to effectively torpedo those peace talk efforts, those negotiations, which Qatar has been facilitating and hosting us for

almost two years now, without, in effect, another option in place.

And it's worth noting that when Ismail Haniyeh, who was the former political leader of Hamas, was assassinated by Israel in Tehran last year

in July, the Qatari prime minister had put out a statement on X at the time.

Saying, effectively, political assassinations and continue to targeting of civilians in Gaza while talks continue lead us to ask, how can mediation

succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?

You can only imagine the kind of response that we are seeing now from Qatar's leadership, when not only has yet another negotiator been

assassinated.

But when it has happened in the backyard of Qatar, which has been designated for many years now and not just in the context of this conflict

but as effectively being a neutral space.

Where various states and non-state actors and militant groups and terrorist groups, from Hamas to the Taliban, can come together and sit across from

the United States, Egypt, whoever may be involved in any given conflict and have a positive and constructive and continued conversation about potential

off-ramps for that conflict.

So this now really raises the prospect that, effectively, these negotiations are off for the time being, with no real replacement in mind.

And then the other thing, Christina, that I would mention, which I know you've been talking about a little bit earlier, too, is what this means for

the U.S. relationship with Qatar. This is a very close relationship.

Israel has said that the U.S. was aware that it was carrying out this strike. That will be seen as an affront or potentially even as a betrayal

by Qatar's leadership.

And so it will be very important to hear in the coming hours from president Trump exactly to what extent the U.S. was aware of Israel's plans and

whether they essentially tacitly agreed to them. So potentially really putting that crucial strategic relationship in jeopardy as well, Christina.

MACFARLANE: Yes, an important point, certainly. Clarissa, thank you.

For now, let's turn to H.A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at RUSI, who is joining us.

Thank you for your time. I mean, just listening to what Clarissa was saying there, the fact that this attack happened in Doha's backyard, I mean, it

was a -- what the IDF have called or Israel have called a precise strike on a senior leadership of Hamas.

But just how audacious was this attack to carry it out in this way?

HA HELLYER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE AND SECURITY STUDIES: Well, thank you for having me on the

program.

I wouldn't call it a precise strike at all. I'd call it an attack on Qatar.

On a sovereign country, a country that was acting as a mediator during negotiations, where one of the most powerful mediating partners in the

world, i.e. the United States, if not the most powerful mediating partner in the world, actually has a substantial military presence in Qatar.

So I think this is not just audacious. I think it's incredibly reckless. I think it's incredibly dangerous. And I think it's a flagrant violation of

international law.

[10:50:00]

It makes everything much more unstable in terms of going forward, not just for Gaza, where the Israelis have been waging a terrible and devastating

war on the people of Gaza, but also more regionally speaking.

The precedent that this sets, especially after you see how the Israelis have not just carried out operations in Gaza and the West Bank but also in

Lebanon, where they continue to occupy territory in Syria, where they continue to occupy territory in Iran.

And now this. I think that people have to be very wide-eyed and clear about what reckless escalation this actually is.

MACFARLANE: Absolutely. We know you have been with us throughout this breaking news this past hour. Thank you now for your thoughts.

I'd just like to turn next to Firas Maksad, who is the managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group. He's joining us

now live from Washington, D.C.

And as we consider how this attack may have happened, we know Israel have been saying, of course, that they notified the U.S. that this attack was

going to take place. We know that there is a big U.S. military base in Qatar.

Can you talk to us about how that conversation might have gone and what it would have been upon Israel to do, given there are U.S. bases in Qatar, to

actually notify the U.S.?

What is the procedure there and how far might it have gone beyond that?

FIRAS MAKSAD, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: Yes. Christina, thank you for that question.

There's a lot of speculation at this time about whether the U.S. was notified, whether they knew or did not know. I think there's an interest

amongst all parties to distance themselves from the Israeli action and to say that this kind of action did not emanate, was not approved and given

the green light from Washington for president Trump.

I don't think that was the case for a number of reasons. First, Qatar is home to the largest American base in the region. I've been there many

times. It is the headquarters of CENTCOM, the U.S. military that operates in the Middle East region.

You cannot have drones and over 10 fighter jets entering that airspace without the American base, the American military having been given a pre-

notification.

Further than that, more important than that, I point everybody to the tweet put out by president Trump on Sunday. He explicitly warned Hamas that, if

they did not accept the new proposal that they had put forward to them, that there will be severe consequences.

And so my thinking is that this is not just an Israeli operation, which was, perhaps with an American approval at the very last minute, this was

something that was very much coordinated with the Trump administration.

Although, again, the Trump administration, the Israelis and certainly the Qataris, who value their relationship with the United States, have an

interest in denying that and distancing themselves from that reality.

MACFARLANE: I mean, you say that -- that you think Washington didn't give the green light to that but there's no doubt that this will be seen, this

attack as a -- as a huge insult by Qatar. They've come out and said as much already.

What damage might this do, even if it were just the United States having knowledge of this, what damage might that do to U.S.-Qatari relations?

And what is going to be the diplomatic ramifications in the region that will come from this?

MAKSAD: Yes, no, I do think that president Trump did give the green light, knew about this ahead of time. And, yes, it does put the Qataris in a

difficult situation. They very much value their relationship with the United States. The U.S. still provides the security umbrella, not just for

Qatar but for the entire region.

The president himself was just there on his first foreign trip abroad since being elected president for the second term in April.

And I think the Qataris have to walk a very thin line here between condemning the Israeli action, which they might have already did, but also

making sure that that doesn't backfire on their relationship with Washington, which is quite essential.

Many of these countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE -- have for some time been diversifying their relationship away

from the United States, hedging in the world of great power competition, developing their ties with Russia and China.

Not the case with Qatar. Qatar has been wholeheartedly in the American camp. There's no doubt, no doubt puts it in a very difficult position with

its primary ally.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and a very difficult position with the hope of any ceasefire negotiation now moving forward.

What is your read on why Israel moved to do this strategically at this stage of the ceasefire negotiations, which we understand were coming to

some fruition point?

MAKSAD: Yes, there's no way to sugarcoat it.

[10:55:00]

I mean, this is a huge gamble by the Israeli side. The negotiations had reached a crucial point. Many of us, observers and watchers of the Middle

East, had been hoping that we would at least get to a temporary ceasefire before the U.N. General Assembly toward the end of September.

Proposals were on the table and these negotiations are tough, no doubt. But by taking out the leadership of Hamas in Doha -- and I've spent a fair

share of time talking with U.S. officials who are in Doha, who deal with this file first-hand -- and everybody knows that these Hamas leaders in

Doha, they're not the decision makers.

The decision makers are the Hamas commanders on the ground in Gaza but they are the crucial link. They are the communicators that take these proposals

back and forth so we can get to a ceasefire in a fruitful negotiations.

Having Israel taking them out at first means that the chances of a breakthrough in negotiations before the U.N. General Assembly meets in

September are that much less.

But second and perhaps more importantly is that Qatar is perhaps no longer willing to play that crucial role of mediator in these talks. So this is a

very bad sign. And one would have to even question whether the lives of the Israeli hostages will be put at risk as a result of that action.

MACFARLANE: Firas Maksad, always great to have your analysis in moments like this. Thank you so much.

And that is it for this hour of breaking news. Stay with CNN.

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