Qatar has prided itself on being a go-between, a mediator, a seemingly neutral broker in a number of global conflicts.
Now, for the first time, it has been drawn directly into Israel’s ever-expanding regional war.
Israel’s surprise attack targeting a meeting of Hamas officials in Doha killed six people on Tuesday, including a Qatari security officer. None of the Hamas top brass were killed.
It marked a new red line crossed by Israel: the first time it had openly admitted to an attack on the soil of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member.
And in that, it attacked the GCC member that houses the regional headquarters of US Central Command, where more than 8,000 American personnel are stationed.
