Friday September 12, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia sharply condemned Israel’s airstrike on Doha, Qatar, at an emergency UN Security Council meeting this week, calling it a grave violation of sovereignty and a deliberate attempt to undermine diplomacy aimed at halting the Gaza war.
Somalia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abubakar Osman (Baale), said the Sept. 9 strike on residential areas in the Qatari capital, which was located near embassies and schools, posed “a perilous escalation” with consequences for the entire Middle East. “We unequivocally condemn this brazen act of aggression, which is a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and risks destabilizing an already fragile region,” Osman told the Council.
He accused Israel of deliberately expanding the conflict zone, pointing to earlier strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Yemen. The attack on Doha, he said, was aimed at sabotaging mediation efforts, including U.S.-backed talks for a ceasefire, the release of detainees and humanitarian access for civilians in Gaza, where the UN has warned of famine. “History has shown that every escalation only dims the already fragile hope for peace in the Middle East,” Osman said, adding that targeting Qatar, a mediator, was an attack on diplomacy itself.
Somalia aligned itself fully with Qatar, offering condolences for lives lost and support for measures to safeguard its sovereignty. Osman urged the Security Council to meet its legal duty under the UN Charter to preserve peace and security, warning that silence would render international law “a mere suggestion subject to the will of aggressors.”
The majority of Council members echoed Somalia’s concerns. Algeria’s envoy said Israel was acting “as if law does not exist, as if sovereignty is dispensable,” while Pakistan’s representative called the strike a “deliberate attempt to sabotage diplomacy” and announced an extraordinary Arab Islamic summit in Doha on Sept. 15. Russia, China, the UK and Slovenia also condemned the attack, describing it as reckless and destabilizing.
Israel defended the strike as justified; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, ‘the days are over when terror leaders can enjoy immunity of any kind.’The United States, while not defending the strike directly, reiterated its preference for “quiet diplomacy.” U.S. officials called the strike counterproductive and joined a 15-member Security Council statement condemning the Doha attack. The statement did not name Israel, a stance several delegations criticized as enabling impunity.
The attack comes as Qatar plays a central role in brokering negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Analysts warn the strike could derail fragile progress toward a ceasefire, further intensifying instability across the region.
