Last week’s failed assassination attempt of the Palestinian negotiating team in Doha, Qatar, raises critical questions that extend far beyond the attack itself. The crux of the problem lies in three interconnected issues: the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in targeting individuals, the failure or deliberate negligence of the US led air defence system, and Qatar’s vulnerable position as a host to both a major US base and the ceasefire negotiations.

The use of AI will be the topic of a future analysis. Meanwhile, the raid on Qatar did not happen in isolation. The skies over Doha are monitored by the American Air Base in Al Udeid, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East. This base is not a marginal outpost; it is the forward headquarters for US Central Command, USCENTCOM, overseeing US military operations throughout the Middle East.

In theory, nothing enters Qatari airspace or nearby region without being detected by the advanced Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) system, which provides air cover for the 

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