Iranian military accuses US of complicity in Israeli strikes in Qatar
Iran’s military on Wednesday accused the United States of involvement in an Israeli attack on Hamas in Qatar the previous day despite public denials by its two foes.
Iran’s military on Wednesday accused the United States of involvement in an Israeli attack on Hamas in Qatar the previous day despite public denials by its two foes.
“The US government is complicit in these crimes and has no respect or regard for global public opinion or even for its own allies,” Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a statement carried by state media.
"Through direct and indirect support for the Zionist regime’s crimes, the United States seeks to create insecurity in the world and the region, promoting international terrorism to advance its sinister, colonial, and exploitative goals," it added.
Israeli warplanes bombed a Hamas office in Doha on Tuesday, in what Israel described as an targeted attack against the group’s senior leadership.
They seemed to miss their intended targets, killing a Qatari security official and five lower-ranking Hamas personnel.
Qatar denounced the attack as “criminal and cowardly,” while Iran called it an “extremely dangerous” violation of sovereignty and international law.
"This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me," US President Donald Trump said following the attack. Netanyahu said Israel acted alone and "takes full responsibility."
The US military's Al Udeid Air Base is the largest in the Middle East.
Hamas has long based its political leadership in the gas-rich Persian Gulf state, which has traditionally acted as a mediator in regional conflicts.
'Insane war machine'
Iran’s military also criticized Israel’s wider military campaigns in the region, calling for a united international response.
“There is an urgent need to halt this regime’s insane war machine and for all countries to sever ties with it,” the statement said. Tehran has long been ill at ease with Arab neighbors' improving ties with Israel.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates opened formal relations with Israel in the so-called Abraham Accords in 2020, but both condemned the attacks.
Iran's new national security chief Ali Larijani warned neighbors of what he described as Israel's hegemonic ambitions in a post in Arabic on social media on Wednesday.
“The message of the Zionist entity’s recent crime in Qatar is clear: O countries of the region! Prepare yourselves for my coming domination.”
Iran will likely cite the attack as a reason Arab states should beware of Israel, analysts told Iran International.
The Doha strike comes as Iran recalibrates its foreign policy after a June war with Israel and the United States battered its military and nuclear infrastructure.
Iran’s armed forces said support for what it called resistance to Israel around the region, adding it will “defend the defenseless and oppressed people of Palestine and Gaza.”
