• Israeli fighter jets launched ballistic missiles from the Red Sea, targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar.
• The September 9 attack resulted in six fatalities and disrupted ongoing diplomatic talks for a ceasefire.
• Israel's tactics aimed to circumvent air defenses and respect Saudi airspace, indicating a strategic military approach.
• Experts suggest the missiles could have been variants of the Golden Horizon or Sparrow models.
• The incident reflects intensifying regional tensions following Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza.

On September 9, Israeli fighter jets launched a series of ballistic missiles from the Red Sea targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar. This method was described by a US defense official as a novel approach to circumvent the energy-rich nation's air defenses while avoiding breaches of airspace over other Middle Eastern countries. The attack resulted in six casualties in Qatar's capital, Doha, complicating a fragile diplomatic landscape aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the protracted Israel-Hamas conflict, which has already devastated Gaza over the past two years, according to trtglobal, scmp, and indiatimes.

The execution of the attack reportedly caught both Qatar and the United States off guard, with the Israeli military taking advantage of an unexpected angle of missile deployment. Experts noted that even had the countries been warned, Qatar's Patriot missile systems would likely not have been able to intercept the missiles due to their trajectory and speed, which could reduce impact time to just minutes according to missile expert Sidharth Kaushal, as reported by trtglobal, scmp, and indiatimes.

The US military identified the attack as an "over the horizon" strike, a term used to describe airstrikes launched from beyond an enemy's airspace, thereby avoiding direct conflict. In this instance, the Israeli missiles likely flew west to east from the Red Sea, falling outside the airspace monitored by Qatar's defense systems, specifically designed to respond to threats from the north and south, according to trtglobal and scmp.

There are indications that approximately ten Israeli aircraft participated in the operation, reportedly launching around ten missiles. The Israeli government has not publicly acknowledged the specifics of the weapons used, although experts speculate that the missiles could have been variants of Israel's air-launched ballistic missiles, such as the Golden Horizon or a version of the Sparrow missile, which may have been equipped with inert warheads, limiting the damage observed at impact, as speculated by Jeffrey Lewis from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Such missiles have a significant effective range and potential impact, as noted by trtglobal, scmp, and indiatimes.

The implications of this military action are profound, sparking heightened concerns among surrounding nations regarding potential further strikes. Following the missile launch, Israel commenced a ground invasion aimed at Gaza City, which has reignited regional tensions amid ongoing suffering in Gaza. As the international community watches closely, the fallout from these events may have lasting impacts on diplomatic relations and security in the region, according to trtglobal, scmp, and indiatimes.