Israeli military analyst says Qatar will respond militarily with combat aircraft in coordination with Saudi Arabia

After Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani threatened to respond to Israel following the recent strike on Doha, prominent Israeli military writer Itai Blumenthal (Kan 11) offered a detailed assessment of the kind of response Qatar is likely to mount.

Blumenthal said Qatar does not possess ballistic missiles, so any direct military reply against Israel would be limited and carried out by combat aircraft, possibly transiting Saudi and Jordanian airspace, which would ensure the response’s effectiveness while avoiding direct escalation on Qatari soil.

The military analyst said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s remarks that the kingdom is prepared to use all its resources to support Qatar’s response to Israel reflect full regional coordination between Doha, Riyadh and other partner states in the region.

Blumenthal explained that the aim of a possible Qatari military response would be to send a deterrent message to Israel after the Doha strike, but he noted execution would depend on a careful assessment of the situation and ongoing coordination with regional partners, with close attention to the United States’ position to ensure the situation does not escalate recklessly.

The Qatari prime minister told CNN: “There will be a response to the Israeli attack on Doha, and the details are under discussion with our regional partners.”

He added: “Netanyahu always claims that we are a threat, while we protect our countries and peoples. None of our countries threatened Israel or its people, so why does he claim to be a man of peace? We are at a critical moment in the Middle East, and his claim that he is reshaping the region is very dangerous and unacceptable to us.”