Hours after flying drones into Poland, Russia condemns Israeli strike on Doha as ‘gross violation’
Russia has condemned Israel's recent air strike on Qatar as a "gross violation of international law," just hours after it launched a mass aerial strike on Ukraine that also saw 23 kamikaze drones violating Polish airspace.
Israel on Sept. 9 conducted an attack on senior Hamas leaders as they gathered in the Qatari capital of Doha, an act the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs a day later described as "an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent state."
The statement came just hours after up to 23 Russian drones violated Polish airspace during a mass strike on Ukraine, prompting the Polish military to engage with Russian targets for the first time during Moscow's full-scale invasion.
"Last night the Polish airspace was violated by a huge number of Russian drones," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X, adding that those "that posed a direct threat were shot down."
The "unprecedented violation of Polish airspace" saw NATO activate Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, with Tusk later telling the Polish parliament: "This situation brings us the closest we have been to open conflict since World War 2".
Warsaw's NATO allies and Kyiv have denounced the incursion and voiced support for Poland, with Ukraine offering assistance with setting up an effective alert and protection system.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart noted that the alliance is "consulting closely" with Warsaw. An undisclosed source told Reuters that the alliance does not treat the incursion as an attack.
Russian drones and missiles have repeatedly violated the airspace of Poland and other NATO members during strikes on Ukraine, but until Sept. 10, there had never been a confirmed case of local defenses shooting one down.
Since 1949, NATO's Article 4 has been invoked seven times. Poland first used it in 2014 over Russia's occupation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas, and again in 2022 with allies following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
