quote:

Originally posted by Expert308:
Loan the Israelis a couple squadrons of B-52s and have them Arc Light the whole strip until there's nothing left but sand and dust.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
This, however, really does seem to be above and beyond what Israel has done before. It’s one thing to kill a murderer in his apartment with an explosive in his phone or bed, but something like military missiles involving a country like Qatar’s airspace is new, I believe. I can almost wonder if Qatar knew about it in advance, and it was, “Okay, but don’t kill any of our civilians.”

I’m all for killing murderers any way possible, but there have been some traditional limits in the past. It will be interesting to see how Qatar responds beyond the required condemnations.

quote:

Israel informed the US of its intention to strike Hamas leaders in Qatar when the jets were already in the air, Channel 12 reports.

Quoting several US officials, the report says that the US, which has a large military base in Qatar, identified Israeli jets heading toward the east and demanded an explanation from Israel.

Israel informed the US that it was carrying out an attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar.

The information was sent to US President Donald Trump, who gave an order to inform Qatar.

However, the report says that the information was sent when the missiles were already in the air.

[...]

quote:

Originally posted by BansheeOne:
Because this strikes at the core of Qatar's self-understanding which prides itself on its disproportionate diplomatic clout for such a small island nation, based upon its carefully balanced neutrality. This is the country that houses both the biggest US base in the Middle East with around 10,000 troops, and the political leadership of Hamas; has acted as a venue for Western negotiations with the Taliban and Iran; and frequently charted a different course from the other Gulf monarchies, including the critical reporting it allows Al Jazeera which is headquartered there. To the point there was a Saudi-led military blockade of the island in 2017-21.

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Qatar has halted its mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas, citing a lack of willingness from both sides to engage constructively, according to a diplomatic source briefed on the matter.

Qatar’s participation hinged on both parties demonstrating real interest in resolving the conflict, according to the diplomat. Qatari officials, however, concluded that recent negotiation efforts have been more focused on optics than peace efforts.

quote:

This month, Qatar announced the suspension of its mediation role between Israel and Hamas concerning a potential Gaza ceasefire and hostage release. At the same time, Doha refrained from confirming whether it would close Hamas’s office in the country, despite requests from the Biden administration to do so.

Qatar has hosted Hamas officials in Doha since 2012, when the terror group moved its headquarters out of Damascus amid the Syrian civil war; Washington had urged Qatar to serve as a conduit to the terror group, much as the Gulf state had done by hosting a Taliban embassy.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
What Hamas did on October 7th voided any "Traditional Limits".

quote:

Originally posted by BansheeOne:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
This, however, really does seem to be above and beyond what Israel has done before. It’s one thing to kill a murderer in his apartment with an explosive in his phone or bed, but something like military missiles involving a country like Qatar’s airspace is new, I believe. I can almost wonder if Qatar knew about it in advance, and it was, “Okay, but don’t kill any of our civilians.”

I’m all for killing murderers any way possible, but there have been some traditional limits in the past. It will be interesting to see how Qatar responds beyond the required condemnations.

Well, the official story goes like this:

quote:

Israel informed the US of its intention to strike Hamas leaders in Qatar when the jets were already in the air, Channel 12 reports.

Quoting several US officials, the report says that the US, which has a large military base in Qatar, identified Israeli jets heading toward the east and demanded an explanation from Israel.

Israel informed the US that it was carrying out an attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar.

The information was sent to US President Donald Trump, who gave an order to inform Qatar.

However, the report says that the information was sent when the missiles were already in the air.

[...]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/...veblog-entry-3638041

If correct, you gotta wonder if Netanyahu has seriously lost the plot. Because this strikes at the core of Qatar's self-understanding which prides itself on its disproportionate diplomatic clout for such a small island nation, based upon its carefully balanced neutrality. This is the country that houses both the biggest US base in the Middle East with around 10,000 troops, and the political leadership of Hamas; has acted as a venue for Western negotiations with the Taliban and Iran; and frequently charted a different course from the other Gulf monarchies, including the critical reporting it allows Al Jazeera which is headquartered there. To the point there was a Saudi-led military blockade of the island in 2017-21.

Worst case, if they're really pissed about this they could tell the US to slap down Israel hard to their satisfaction, or clear out Al Udeid Air Base by the end of the year for the new Chinese tenants. Because if the American presence, the billions in American weapons they buy, the new Air Force One they gifted doesn't protect them from stuff like this, obviously they need a better bodyguard. Plus the Abraham Accords could unravel for the same general reasons - while again, the neighbors from Bahrain and the UAE are frequently at odds with Qatar, they also pay for US protection, including by entertaining friendly relations with Israel. Israel starts bombing the neighborhood while the US looks on impotently, there's no more reason for that.

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Originally posted by 83v45magna:
Why do you keep referring to Qatar as an island?
Bahrain is an island, not Qatar.

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The Trump Administration slams Israel for targeting Hamas leaders inside the territory of US ally Qatar, while stressing that eliminating Hamas is a worthy goal.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sets out the administration’s position in a prepared statement, in which she says US President Donald Trump told the Qataris of the impending Israeli strike after he learned about it from the US military. Trump also spoke to Netanyahu and to Qatar’s leaders after the attack.

Reading from the statement, she begins by saying the White House was notified “by the US military” ahead of the attack.

She then condemns Israel, saying that “unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel’s or America’s goals.”

However, she says, “eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”

She says Trump, on learning of the imminent strike, immediately told special envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris “of the impending attack, which he did.”

Trump “views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States and feels very badly about the location of this attack,” says Leavitt.

Trump wants all of the hostages in Gaza and the bodies released, she adds, and “this war to end now.”

Noting that Trump called Netanyahu after the attacks, she continues: “The prime minister told President Trump that he wants to make peace, and quickly.”

Trump believes “this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace,” she says.

Trump also called the Qatari emir and prime minister to thank them for their “support and friendship” with the US, and he “assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”

quote:

Originally posted by BansheeOne:


Oh yeah - peninsula. Got thrown by the translation of Al Jazeera.