Qatar Supports Iran, Gloats Over Destruction In Israel: The Scenes Of Devastation In The Entity Destined For Extinction Warm The Heart

Memri

18-06-2025

In the war between Israel and Iran that broke out on June 13, 2025, Qatar has positioned itself squarely on Iran's side and against Israel. This is evident in the statements issued by the Qatari establishment, which condemn Israel's attack on Iran while disregarding the reasons for it as well as Iran's missile attacks on Israel, which have caused immense devastation in populated areas and claimed the lives of many Israeli civilians. The Qatari support for Iran is also manifest in remarks made by journalists and senior media figures in Qatar, including the editors of government newspapers and presenters on Al-Jazeera TV, who gloated over the destruction in Israel and hoped for more attacks on this 'artificial entity, destined for extinction' and for an ultimate Iranian victory.
The Internation Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is headquartered in Doha and serves as a tool of the Qatari regime to disseminate extremist anti-Western Islamist ideology,[1] called for jihad to repel 'the tyrannical Zionist aggression against Iran,' and its senior members welcomed the destruction caused in Israel by the Iranian missiles.
Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in February 2025 (Image: Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, February 20, 2025)
This report reviews the responses in Qatar to the Israel-Iran war:
Qatari Regime In One-Sided Condemnation Of Israel: There Is No Justification For The Attack On Iran
Qatar's support for Iran was evident from the start of Israel's attacks on June 13. The Qatari foreign ministry issued a statement condemning them and describing them as 'part of a recurring pattern of aggressive policy that threatens the security and stability of the region and impedes efforts to reduce the tension and achieve diplomatic solutions,' while ignoring the Iranian threat to Israel that led to the attacks.[2] That evening Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani reiterated this condemnation in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.[3] In a June 17 press briefing, Qatar's foreign minister spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, came out against Israel's attacks in Iran while ignoring Iran's missile attacks on civilian targets in Israel. He stated that, despite all the attempts to alleviate the tensions, 'there is one player in the region that insists on initiating escalation and sabotaging all the efforts to make peace there,' hinting at Israel.[4]
Qatari media reports about exchanges about the war between Qatari officials and their Arab and Western counterparts likewise stressed Qatar's condemnation of the Israeli attack while disregarding Iran's counterattacks on Israel.[5]
Qatar also expressed its support for Iran at an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on June 16. At the meeting Jassim Yacoub Al-Hammadi, Qatar's ambassador to Austria, who also serves as the country's permanent representative to the UN offices in Vienna, slammed the Israeli attack on Iran, claiming that "there is no legal basis for Israel's claim that its attack on Iran was a preemptive strike in self-defense." He urged the IAEA secretary-general to renew contacts with the Iranians in order to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.[6]
International Union Of Muslim Scholars Gloats Over Attacks On Israel, Calls For Jihad To Repel Its "Aggression"
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is headquartered in Doha and serves as a Qatari arm for spreading extremist anti-Western Islamist ideology, condemned what it called "the oppressive Zionist aggression against Iran."[7] The union's head, Ali Al-Qaradaghi, wrote: "This attack must not be considered outside the broader context of the regional tension that is caused by the systematic Zionist policy of dragging the region into endless conflicts."
He added: "It is impossible to remain silent in the face of this injustice. [Rather,] it is a duty to resist it… to support the oppressed and to repel the aggression… There is need for financial jihad, but [such jihad] is not sufficient. Even if it is obligatory, it must be accompanied by all [other] types [of jihad], including informational efforts, influencing public opinion, and encouraging action by young people and human rights activists."[8]
Al-Qaradaghi's deputy, Ahmed Al-Khalili, who also serves as the mufti of Oman, welcomed Iran's counterattack against Israel, writing on X: "Iran's forceful response heartened us and gave us hope that the loathsome Zionist occupation of the sacred lands [in Palestine] will end for good, Allah willing."[9] IUMS member Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti, who is also a lecturer at Qatar University, shared footage of the aftermath of an Iranian missile on Israel, and commented: "[This is] the devastation [seen] this morning in Tel Aviv, capital of the temporary entity [Israel], after a dark night of Iranian missile [strikes]. Allah, let there be more [such strikes] and bless [those who carry them out]."[10]
Al-Shinqiti's post (X.com/mshinqiti, June 15, 2025)
Editor Of Al-Sharq Government Daily: We Must Support Iran; Israel Understands Only The Language Of Force
Jaber Al-Harmi, editor of the Qatari government daily Al-Sharq, wrote on X following Israel's opening attack on Iran: "We [sometimes] agree with Iran and [sometimes] disagree with it, but we are never at odds [with it] when it comes to hostility toward the Zionist entity. Since [Iran] is a neighbor and a sister with whom we share [our] 'regional home' and 'Islamic home,' we oppose the Zionist aggression toward it… Now is not the time to address our disagreements with it. Now is the time to stand with it against the Zionist arrogance…
"Iran must respond with every means at its disposal and all its remaining strength, and the Arab and Islamic world must take a serious and firm stance on this Israeli brutality… This aggression is [just] a prelude to [Israeli] attacks on additional countries and a warning message to anyone who is thinking of shrugging off the Zionist yoke. 'Israel' understands only the language of force… It is disgraceful and immoral to express pleasure at Iran's suffering while it is being subjected to [this] treacherous aggression."[11]
Former Editor Of Al-Arab Government Daily: Allah, Bring Perdition Upon Israel
Abdullah bin Hamad Aal Athbah, a former editor of the Qatari Al-Arab daily, posted a message in support of Iran: 'We do not accept the aggression of the Zionist Jews against our great sister and neighbor Iran. All [our] solidarity [is with] the fraternal Iranian people against the murderers of the women and children of Gaza and of our Arab and Muslim region.'[12] In another post, Aal Athbah shared footage from the Qatari Al-Arabi channel showing the site of a missile strike in Tel Aviv, and commented: 'Teheran sends its third response to the fourth aggression by the Zionist Jews. Allah bring perdition upon the attackers.'[13]
One of Aal Athbah's posts (X.com/A_AlAthbah, June 13, 2025)
Senior Al-Jazeera Presenter: Israel Is An Artificial Entity Destined For Extinction
Al-Jazeera presenter Ghada Oueiss posted on her X account: 'What is this country that lives on wars and hostility toward all its neighbors since its establishment?? It is an artificial entity, destined for extinction.'[14] Qatari journalist Abd Al-Aziz Al-Khater, a columnist for the Qatari Al-Raya daily, wrote in a similar vein: 'Iran, as an entity and a historic people, will not be defeated by Israel, whose existence is artificial."[15]
Senior Al-Jazeera Presenter: Israel's Cities Are Burning; Remember That Iran Supports The Palestinian Resistance Movements
Palestinian Al-Jazeera presenter Jamal Rayyan rejoiced over the destruction in Israel, writing on June 16: "Israel's cities are burning. It has been proven that Iran's advanced missile fire is capable of destroying Israel's nuclear facilities and its conventional military [sites], as well as civilian sectors. The entity [Israel] is unable to withstand the losses that are bound to be [caused by the Iranian missile attacks]. Netanyahu, who thought Iran would be easy prey, is now begging Trump to intervene and protect Israel from it." [16]
In an earlier post, from June 13, Rayyan came out against anyone condemning Iran on social media, [17]writing: "To all those who are attacking Iran on social media, [I say]: always remember that Iran is a great Islamic nation, thousands of years old, that [observes the five pillars of the Islamic faith:] professes that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, fasts [on Ramadan], performs the prayers, gives alms and performs the pilgrimage [to Mecca]. It [also] dedicates 20 percent of its national income to supporting the resistance movements [fighting] to liberate Al-Aqsa and Palestine."[18]
Al-Jazeera Presenter: The Images Coming Out Of Tel Aviv Are Far From Victorious
Al-Jazeera presenter Zein Elabadin Tawfik shared footage of a missile strike site in Tel Aviv and praised the Iranian counterattack: "The importance of the Iranian response [to Israel's opening attack] lies in the fact that it was unprecedented and came just a few hours after the elimination of Iran's top military command in this attack. The war is just beginning and the images coming out of Tel Aviv are far from victorious."[19]
Tawfik's post
Qatar-Affiliated Journalist: The Scenes Of Devastation In Israel Are Heart-Warming
After a night of massive missile attacks from Iran and direct hits to residential buildings in Israel, Egyptian documentary filmmaker Assaad Taha, a former Al Jazeera presenter, wrote on X: "This is the first time in my life I see destruction and my heart expands."[20]
Columnist For Qatari Daily: Allah, Burn Their Homes Over Their Heads And Don't Spare A Single Soul Among Them
Palestinian author Adham Sharkawi, a columnist for the Qatari daily Al-Watan, shared footage of a fire that broke out in an Israeli city following an Iranian missile strike, and wrote: "Allah, place a heavy burden upon them and let us see You punish them… Burn their homes over their heads and subject them to the rule of the righteous and sinful among Your servants [i.e., the Muslims]."[21]
In another post, from June 16, he shared footage of the aftermath of the Iranian missile strike on the Haifa oil refinery, and wrote: "O Allah, gather them in great numbers, kill them one by one and do not spare a single soul among them. O Allah, subject them to the rule of the righteous and sinful from among Your servants [i.e., the Muslims], and do not take our souls until we heal our hearts by [seeing] them [suffer]." [22]
Adham Sjarkawi's posts
Columnist For Qatari Daily: Supporting Iran Is A Religious And Moral Obligation
Algerian journalist Hafid Derradji, a columnist for the Qatari daily Al-Raya and a commentator on Qatar's beIN Sports channel, wrote on X: "Standing with the [Islamic] nation is a duty, not a choice. Standing with any Islamic country that is facing the Zionist-Western-American aggression is not a choice but a duty dictated by faith and manliness… It is not merely a political or emotional stance but a religious and moral obligation that cannot be postponed or [evaded under any] pretext. Any downplaying of the importance of [this] support, or justification of silence, is implicit partnership in the crime. The time has come to rise above narrow considerations and view the war as an existential one, not just as a passing crisis. The enemy is one, the blood is one, and the fate is one. Allah, grant victory to those who have supported Islam and humiliate those who have abandoned our nation and betrayed our causes."[23]
Hafid Derradji's post