Israeli security brass 'pessimistic' about Doha attack objectives
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Israeli officials question whether the "Summit of Fire" airstrike in Doha achieved its goals against Hamas leaders.
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Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025 (AP)
Officials in the Israeli security establishment and intelligence community expressed doubts about whether the "Summit of Fire" attack achieved its specified objectives against Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.
Ynet cited two sources as saying that the information available so far has made them "pessimistic" about the ability to inflict fatal casualties on the majority of the targets, let alone all of them.
Furthermore, one source claimed that the operation had at least achieved its psychological objective of "sowing terror among Hamas' leaders" and proving that they cannot hide safely, despite the uncertainty regarding the actual physical damage inflicted.
The report added that, initially, there was optimism within the intelligence division and the Shin Bet security agency regarding the operation's results. This confidence was based on two key factors: the strike was timed to begin after the leaders' meeting had already started, which provided a strong degree of certainty that most senior Hamas officials were present in the targeted building, and the bombs were confirmed to have successfully struck and severely damaged the structure.
The Israeli newspaper further explained that it remains unclear how the attack failed to hit the leaders if the initial intelligence was indeed correct, especially given that the Israeli military dropped several highly explosive bombs directly on the target.
Officials have also raised questions about what might have occurred in the time between the moment the operation was approved and the moment the bombs actually struck the building.
On September 9, the Israeli occupation military, in a coordinated statement with its internal security agency Shin Bet, announced that it had carried out an airstrike on the Qatari capital of Doha while claiming the operation targeted the senior leadership of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
Speaking to Al Mayadeen, Palestinian Resistance Affairs expert Hani al-Dali confirmed that the senior leadership had survived the assassination attempt, emphasizing that the operation was a failure even with the evident coordination between "Israel" and the United States.
Israeli Channel 12, citing its military sources, reported that the strikes specifically targeted members of the Hamas negotiating delegation as they were actively discussing the latest US-mediated proposal during meetings held in Doha.
