Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar raises global tensions and implications for peace.
At approximately 6:30 a.m. PST, 10 Israeli fighter jets enacted a targeted precision attack on Hamas leaders who were in Doha, Qatar. The leaders were apparently gathered together in one building to discuss ceasefire negotiations, and while reports are still coming in, it seems that many of the top leaders who lived outside of Gaza have now been eliminated.
There are a number of important things to recognize about how meaningful this attack is, what precipitated it, and what the ramifications will probably be.
The attack, dubbed “Operation Judgment Day,” was coordinated and approved on Monday night as a result of the recent terrorist attacks in Jerusalem and from Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said this was a justified attack that was a wholly Israeli operation. “Israel initiated it, Israel coordinated it, and Israel takes full responsibility.”
But Netanyahu’s words might not be fully transparent and true. The Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East and serves as the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), managing operations across the region. Nothing happens in Qatar airspace without U.S. knowledge. Whether there was foreknowledge or not, the U.S. absolutely was aware of the attack. This is true despite Speaker of the House Mike Johnson saying this morning that he didn’t know anything about Israel’s strike on Qatar. He added, “Hamas has to be eradicated. You’ve got to remove that threat on the immediate border, frankly, within the bounds of Israel.”
Additionally, there are reports that the Qatar Air Defense systems were not disabled, but that the fighter jets were able to sneak in without being detected. This implies that the air defense systems are basically useless in Qatar, but that is highly unlikely. More likely, the Qataris are claiming plausible deniability so that they can achieve their two goals of both removing Hamas from the equation and not antagonizing their Muslim brothers in other countries of the region.
