Israel’s unprecedented strike on Qatar’s capital has rattled the entire Gulf region, unsettled Washington and raised stark questions about US involvement.
The attack, which targeted Hamas leaders meeting in a Doha suburb, killed six people including a Qatari security officer, the son of senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Hayya, the director of his office and three bodyguards.
Trump, usually steadfast in backing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, delivered a rare rebuke, insisting he had not authorised the operation and was "not thrilled about the way that went down".
The White House maintains it was caught by surprise. But critics say Washington’s story is already unravelling - and that the US was either complicit in the strike or exposed as powerless.
The New Arab looks into the potential complicity in this attack that has once again plunged the region into a new level of turmoil.
The US's official line: caught by surprise
The White House says Israeli jets launched the attack without coordinating with the US, and that only after the missiles were airborne did American officials realise what was happening. Trump ordered envoy Steve Witkoff to warn the Qataris, but by the time he made contact, the bombs had already struck.
Initially, however, Washington claimed it had forewarned Qatar - a line swiftly contradicted by Doha, which said it only received a call ten minutes after the explosions.
The contradiction has fuelled scepticism that the US is not telling the full story on its knowledge of the Israeli attack.
Promises broken
The Washington Post reported that both Mossad and US officials had assured Qatar there would be no strike on its territory, following threatening statements by Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in August that Hamas leaders abroad were legitimate targets.
Doha sought guarantees, and was promised that its territory was safe. However, Tuesday’s strike shattered those assurances and raised questions about the US's role in the strikes.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called the attack "cowardly" and said it amounted to an assault on his country's sovereignty. His government has suspended contacts with Israeli negotiators and is preparing to host an Arab-Islamic summit this week.
Could Washington really not know?
Doubts about US ignorance of the strikes are mounting.
Axios reported that American radar tracked Israeli jets heading east well before the strike. The Wall Street Journal said more than 10 fighter jets were involved, firing at least 10 long-range missiles from outside Gulf airspace - a major operation hard to miss.
Moreover, Israel relies heavily on US-supplied aircraft and munitions. Analysts argue it strains credibility to suggest Washington could not anticipate or detect such an attack.
Complicit or impotent?
Gershon Baskin, who has mediated between Hamas and the US, told The New Arab's Arabic edition that if Trump did not give the green light, he must move to end the war or else appear complicit.
"Not doing so would be an admission that Trump gave the green light for the Israeli military attack against Hamas on Qatari territory," he warned.
Giorgio Cafiero, a Gulf analyst writing for The New Arab, said the strike represented "a watershed moment in US-Gulf relations", undermining trust in Washington’s security guarantees. In his view, whether or not the US approved the attack, Gulf states will perceive that it enabled Israel.
Others frame the event as proof of Washington’s weakness. An ABC News analysis described the strike as exposing "Donald Trump’s impotence in the Middle East", showing that either Israel ignored him or he knowingly let it proceed.
Unnamed officials cited by Hebrew and US outlets have hinted at prior knowledge. The Jerusalem Post noted Israeli sources believed American approval was implicit, while CNN reported unnamed US officials acknowledging awareness of the strike.
The Middle East Forum even characterised the attack as a "masterpiece of intelligence coordination", implying external support from the US.
The two unflattering options
The US position narrows to two possibilities, neither flattering. Either Washington was complicit, quietly approving the strike while denying it after the fact. Or it was genuinely blindsided, despite its unrivalled surveillance capacity and the use of its own weapons systems.
Complicity would make Trump’s denials dishonest, shredding US credibility across the region among its key Arab allies. Ignorance would cast Washington as impotent, unable to restrain its closest ally even when its own interests and promises to Qatar were at stake.
Fallout for US diplomacy
The diplomatic consequences are already clear. Qatar, a key mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks and host of the Al Udeid airbase, feels betrayed. Regional states question whether US guarantees mean anything. Arab-Islamic states are mobilising to coordinate a response.
For Washington, the strike has intensified the perception that it can neither control Israel nor act as an honest broker.
As the dust settles in Doha, the core question remains unanswered: was the US a partner in Israel’s decision to bomb one of its closest allies, or was it sidelined by a state acting with total impunity, using US military technology and hiding behind US diplomatic power?
Either answer could be disastrous for American credibility and influence among its Arab allies.