Qatar ‘strongly condemns’ Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites

DOHA: Qatar “strongly condemns” Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling it “an uncalculated measure that will have very dire repercussions”, ARY News reported quoting Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari has held a press conference in Doha addressing the ongoing Israel-Iran hostilities.

The attack comes at a time when Iran was “progressing in a positive diplomatic course” with Washington, a negotiation many regional countries were engaged in, al-Ansari said.

Qatar remains involved in mediation with the United States and “believes there is an American desire for an agreement”.

“We will continue to work for a ceasefire between the warring parties – Israel and Iran,” he said.

The condemnation came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its missile strikes in Israel hit a military intelligence centre and a Mossad operations planning centre.

Israel earlier reported described a missile impact in the central coastal city of Herzliya as targeting a sensitive site – often code for a military or strategic target.

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Iranian media reported explosions and heavy air defence fire in Tehran early on Tuesday. Air defences were activated also in Natanz, home to key nuclear installations 320 km (200 miles) away, the Asriran news website reported.

A White House aide said it was not true that the US was attacking Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News that Trump was still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, while adding the US would defend its assets in the region.

In Israel, air raid sirens wailed in Tel Aviv after midnight and an explosion was heard as Iranian missiles targeted the country again.

Iranian officials reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, in five days, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nearly 3,000 Israelis had been evacuated due to damage from Iranian strikes.