Israeli attacks on various fronts

The events of this week raise a pressing question for the Ummah: how could Israel conduct strikes across five Muslim lands (Tunisia, Qatar, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine) within only twenty-four hours? What appears at first as unprecedented is, in fact, a continuation of a long record of extraterritorial operations. The question is not only about military capacity. It is also about political complicity, strategic weakness, and the erosion of collective Arab integrity.

‍

On September 9, 2025, Israel struck inside Qatar, targeting senior Hamas leaders based in Doha. Eyewitnesses reported explosions in the Legtifya district and international outlets confirmed that Khalil al-Hayya, a key figure in Gaza ceasefire talks, was among those targeted. Reuters and the Financial Times reported that the strike was carried out despite ongoing negotiations. This showed how Israel privileges its military agenda even when political processes are unfolding, and it underlined its ability to extend operations deep into Muslim capitals.

‍

In Tunisia, the Global Sumud Freedom Flotilla, docked in Sidi Bou Said, reported that one of its vessels was hit by what activists described as a drone. Tunisian authorities denied this and spoke of a malfunction, but video footage pointed to an aerial strike. The incident immediately recalled April 1988, when Khalil al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) was assassinated in his Tunis home by an Israeli unit. Later investigations, including an Al Jazeera documentary, revealed that Tunisian security officials had prior knowledge of the operation. This set a precedent of silence and complicity that still casts a shadow today. Nor was that the only Tunisian case. In December 2016, Mohamed Zouari, an engineer working with Hamas on drone technology, was shot dead outside his house in Sfax. The methods and surveillance bore the hallmarks of Mossad. Israel refused to comment, but Hamas and Tunisian politicians openly pointed to Tel Aviv’s hand. The Zouari assassination exposed both Israel’s reach and the vulnerability of Arab security systems, sometimes infiltrated, sometimes pressured, sometimes willingly passive.

Lebanon and Syria have long lived under this reality. Israel has bombed Lebanese towns and infrastructure since the 2006 war, with civilian casualties alongside attacks on resistance positions. In Syria, cities like Homs have been struck repeatedly under the pretext of blocking Iranian supplies or advanced weapons transfers. Gaza itself remains the clearest example of this pattern. For nearly two decades it has been bombarded, starved, and treated as a laboratory for new weapons.

‍

The issue here is not only Israel’s capacity to project force, but also the permissive environment created by Arab disunity. Abu Jihad in 1988, Zouari in 2016, and now Hamas leaders in 2025, these operations show a consistent pattern. Israel acts with knowledge that certain Arab states will not resist, and in some cases may quietly facilitate. With normalization agreements expanding, economic deals advancing, and silence spreading, the Palestinian cause is sidelined in favor of short-term interests. From an Islamic perspective this is more than a political failure.

‍

Allah reminds us: 

“And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way over the believers” (Qur’an 4:141).

Yet history shows that when Muslims abandon justice and unity, enemies exploit the weakness. True ʿizza, dignity, cannot come from press statements or symbolic outrage. It requires sovereignty, the defense of oppressed peoples, and accountability for those who allow Muslim blood to be spilled without consequence.Israel has already killed leaders in Tunis, assassinated scientists in Sfax, bombed Homs, targeted Beirut, and devastated Gaza. The scenario of five Muslim countries struck in one day is no longer hypothetical. The real question is not whether Israel is capable of it. It is whether Muslims are capable of uniting to stop it.