In the past month, Israel has bombed Palestine, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, but its attack on Hamas officials in Qatar this week was most unexpected. And it hit a nerve.
Arab leaders immediately expressed solidarity with their Gulf neighbour and condemned what they said was a breach of Qatar's sovereignty. In the coming days they will meet at an emergency regional summit to discuss the attack. But analysts say a military response is not an option.
Qatar has been a major mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, but it is also a strategic US ally and home to the biggest American military base in the region. US President Donald Trump said he was not “thrilled” about the strike but has yet to take any action against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But what fallout could this have for Qatar and the Gulf states, and how will it test their relationship with western allies?
In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Hasan AlHasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Hussein Ibish, resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a columnist for The National.
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