Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in quiet Qatar shocks Gulf allies, tests US ties

The tiny, gas-rich Gulf Arab state of Qatar hosts the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East. It has been designated a U.S. “major non-NATO ally.” It has even lavished a $400 million jumbo jet on President Donald Trump for use as Air Force One. None of that protected this quiet peninsula in the Persian Gulf from coming under an Israeli aerial attack on Tuesday as it mediated U.S.-backed negotiations to end the Israel-Hamas war.