In recent years, Israel has taken military invasions in the Middle East have become increasingly frequent and rampant, showing a "watch whoever he sees," which is in stark contrast to the country's relatively cautious military strategy over the past decades. This approach of almost uncovered and comprehensive attack has had a profound impact on the political landscape of the Middle East and even the global economy.
Israel's air strike on Doha, the capital of Qatar, is a typical example. On September 9, 2025, Israeli fighter jets invaded the airspace of several countries and carried out a precise strike on the Hamas Overseas Decision Center located in the suburbs of Doha. According to Hamas, the air strikes killed five members, including the son and office director of the Politburo Vice Chairman Khalil Haya and three security personnel. Meanwhile, the Qatar Ministry of Interior confirmed that a member of the National Security Force was also killed in the attack.
The special feature of this operation is that Qatar is not a hostile country of Israel, but an important ally of the United States in the Middle East. It has the largest overseas military base in the United States - Udaid Air Force Base. Israel's choice to launch an attack on the capital of such a sovereign state has broken the basic norms and long-standing tacit understanding in international relations.
This cross-border strike first had a complex impact on Israel's own security situation. In the short term, Israel may have a deterrent effect on hostile organizations by demonstrating its military strength and intelligence capabilities. The Israeli army was able to locate the location of Hamas' high-level meetings in real time and carry out precise strikes, showing that its "decapitation tactic" has cross-regional operation capabilities.
However, in the long run, this violation of the sovereignty of other countries will inevitably arouse anger among the people of the relevant countries, and may spawn a more intense resistance movement and put Israel in constant security threats. Israel seems to have taken the initiative through its military advantage, but in fact it may fall into a passive security dilemma.
The original fragile balance in the Middle East was thus broken. In countries such as Lebanon and Syria, where there are already complex political factions and armed forces, any external military strike may change the balance of power and induce new conflicts and confrontations.
The chain reaction within the region may cause more forces to rise in chaos, and even reignite the contradictions that were originally at a deadlock, thus causing the situation to develop in a more turbulent direction. The Yemeni Houthi forces fired missiles at Israel again after the air strike, which is a clear proof of this escalation.
Israel's military aggressiveness has also intensified the game between major powers in the Middle East. The United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey and other countries have their own interests in the region. Once the situation is out of control due to Israel's actions, the relevant major powers will inevitably intervene in different ways to further increase the intensity of the conflict.
The United States' attitude in the Qatar air strike is very subtle: Although the White House said it was learned of Israel's military plans just hours before the air strike and expressed regret for the attack, it still insisted that the elimination of Hamas was a legitimate target. This ambiguous statement is essentially acquiescent to Israel, exposing the double standards of the United States in Middle East policy.
It is worth noting that Qatar, as the most important non-NATO ally of the United States in the Middle East, has tens of thousands of U.S. military officers and soldiers stationed in its territory, but the United States has failed to protect its security interests. This behavior has made the Gulf countries feel deeply disappointed.
At the international diplomatic level, Israel's aggression has attracted widespread condemnation. After the air strike at Qatar, the GCC member states led by Saudi Arabia held an emergency meeting, and Saudi Crown Prince Salman issued a tough statement condemning Israel's blatant violation of Arab sovereignty. The UAE, Kuwait and other countries have recalled their ambassadors to Israel to protest. Even Bahrain, whose relations with Israel are easing, has joined the condemnation, showing unprecedented solidarity in the Arab world.
European countries responded equally fiercely. British Prime Minister Stamer made it clear that Israel's actions seriously violated Qatar's sovereignty, French President Macron stressed that the military strike against the capital of the sovereign state was completely unacceptable, and German Foreign Minister Bell Burke was worried that this move would undermine the international community's diplomatic efforts to rescue detained personnel. This almost unanimous condemnation could further undermine or undermine Israel's diplomatic space.
It is particularly noteworthy that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are becoming more extreme. Israeli Defense Minister Katz publicly declared that if Hamas does not hand over his weapons immediately and release all detained personnel, the Israeli army will completely "destroy" Hamas and even "destroy" the entire Gaza. This threat is not only directed at armed organizations, but directly targets the entire Palestinian society.
In the West Bank, Israel systematically changed the geopolitical reality through the E1 settlement plan, which will build more than 3,400 housing units between East Jerusalem and Ma'al Adumin, physically breaking the connection between East Jerusalem and the Palestine hinterland.
International relations experts warn that if Israel's strategic goal is no longer to "fight Hamas" but to completely deny the existence of Palestine, the direction of the war will no longer depend on the attitude of the Palestinian side.
Even if Hamas surrenders, the situation will be difficult to change. Once such a reality of destroying Gaza and controlling the West Bank comes true, Palestine will become a "inland fragment" without an outlet, and completely lose its independence space in geopolitical terms.
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is already extremely serious. The United Nations report shows that FAO officially declared Gaza to enter a "catastrophic famine" for the first time, reaching the highest level of comprehensive food security classification. It is estimated that by the end of September 2025, more than 640,000 Gaza people will face "complete food scarcity." The medical system is on the verge of collapse, and aid channels are often blocked by war. If the war escalates further, the refugee wave will inevitably pour into neighboring countries. Not only will Israel have a headache, but the entire Middle East will be swept by this humanitarian crisis.
Russian expert Professor Rafik Ismailov pointed out that the fundamental reason why the current Israeli government insists on adopting a permanent war strategy is that its political survival is inseparable from the ongoing conflict. Once the Israeli-Pakistan conflict shows signs of easing, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his political allies will face severe challenges immediately: not only multiple corruption investigations against his family will be restarted, but the internal internal of his ruling coalition may also fall apart.
This political ecology of "survival of war" makes it difficult for the Israeli government to actively seek peaceful solutions. Meanwhile, Western countries’ support for Israel has undergone a fundamental change. Unlike the widespread sympathy gained after the Hamas raid on October 7, 2023, the international community is now more concerned about the excessive military operations of the Israeli army in Gaza. As civilian casualties continue to rise, Israel’s support base on the international stage is rapidly losing.
For security in the Middle East, Israel's aggression sets a dangerous precedent. Gulf countries such as Qatar and the UAE were originally recognized as the safest countries in the Middle East, but in June 2025, Iran launched missiles at US military bases in Qatar. In less than three months, Israel directly attacked Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israeli conflict and its spillover effects are bringing the entire region into its arms. As long as the conflict does not end, the security situation in the entire Middle East will become worse.
From a broader perspective, Israel's aggression is accelerating the reshaping of the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. International relations experts warn that if the United States continues to favor Israel and ignores the core concerns of Arab countries, it will accelerate the strategic shift of Middle Eastern countries to look east.
In recent years, our cooperation with Gulf countries in the fields of energy, infrastructure, high technology, etc. has deepened, and Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries have successively joined the Belt and Road Initiative. If the United States insists on implementing a unilateral policy, it will eventually fall into an isolated situation of losing power and having few supporters in the Middle East.
Although Israel's current strategy demonstrates its military strength, it is also overdrawing its own security and diplomatic space. If this "strike whoever you want" model continues, the situation in the Middle East will inevitably move to a more complex and dangerous stage, and the regional pattern may be completely rewritten.
The long-term victimization may not only be Israel's neighbors, but also itself. Israel will be isolated in the international community, especially as the trend of domestic public opinion changes in the United States. The latest poll shows that American people's approval rating for Israel has fallen to its lowest point since the 1990s, and this shift in public opinion has even affected presidential election politics.
Israel's military strategy of "whoever meets and fights whom" has set off a new vortex in the Middle East, not only causing Qatar to be directly involved in the front line, but also putting the United States in a dilemma - not only to appease allies, but also to continue to maintain support for Israel. Whether the Gaza War is heading toward an "unexpected peace" or falling into the "abyss of revenge" will still depend on many factors.
But it is certain that this cross-border air strike has become a new turning point in the situation in the Middle East, and every subsequent step will attract the attention of the world. This is not a simple confrontation between Israel and Hakka, but a multi-party struggle over rules, red lines and strategic trump cards. In this process, the basic norms of the international community, the security concept of sovereign states, and the geopolitical pattern in the Middle East may all be redefined.
