Overview

• A U.S. defense official said Israeli fighter jets fired ballistic missiles from over the Red Sea to hit a Hamas meeting in Qatar on September 9.
• Six people were killed in Doha and the strike derailed Qatar-mediated efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
• By sending missiles into space on a west-to-east path, the operation avoided neighboring states’ airspace and exploited typical regional monitoring patterns.
• Missile experts said Qatar’s Patriot systems likely could not intercept the high-speed reentry, with only minutes elapsing from launch to impact.
• An Israeli official said about 10 aircraft launched roughly 10 missiles, while Israel has not disclosed the weapons used and analysts’ suggested types remain unconfirmed.