Speaking at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference in Maryland, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France — commander of Air Forces Central and Combined Forces Air Component Commander for US Central Command — acknowledged that American forces received no advance warning of the September 9 raid.
“This strike that Israel did against the Hamas target in Doha was something that we had no indications and warnings of, because our surveillance and all our attention was not put on [it],” France said. “It wasn’t something that we expected.”
A surprise raid in Qatar
The Israeli strike targeted a Hamas meeting in Doha that was linked to ongoing ceasefire discussions backed by the United States. According to Qatari and regional officials, six people were killed, including several Hamas members and a Qatari internal security officer. Senior Hamas leaders reportedly survived the attack.
Israel’s military employed air-launched ballistic missiles fired from fighter jets over the Red Sea, using high-arcing trajectories that bypassed the sovereign airspace of neighboring Middle Eastern states. Some outlets described the missiles as being fired into space.
US detection came only after launch
Despite having advanced global missile detection networks, US officials admitted their first indication of the strike came only after the missiles were already airborne. Lt. Gen. France confirmed that US sensors detected the launch in real time but provided no prior warning.American surveillance systems in the region are generally concentrated on monitoring threats from Iran and other established threat directions, making the Israeli strike especially difficult to anticipate. The incident highlighted ongoing Pentagon efforts to improve midcourse tracking of missiles — particularly through new space-based sensors being developed by the Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency.
White House and Qatari reactions
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump was informed of the strike by military officials and that Qatar’s leadership was alerted. Qatari officials, however, publicly denied receiving advance notice before explosions struck the compound.
The strike strained relations between the US partners. Qatar hosts Hamas political officials in Doha as part of its mediator role in Gaza ceasefire talks, while also providing the US with critical basing rights at Al Udeid Air Base — the largest US military installation in the Middle East.
Lessons for regional defense
Lt. Gen. France emphasized that the incident underscored the need for stronger integration of missile defenses among Gulf allies. He pointed to US-supplied Patriot systems already deployed in the region as examples of equipment that could be made more interoperable to improve coordination against sudden threats.
Despite heightened tensions, France sought to downplay speculation that the attack might jeopardize American access to Al Udeid. He expressed confidence that the strong military-to-military ties between the U.S. and Qatar would preserve stability even during political disputes.
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