Qatar under attack: Israel's strike on Hamas leaders escalate regional tension

Qatar awoke Wednesday still digging through the rubble of an Israeli attack the previous day on Hamas political leaders who had gathered in the capital of the energyrich Middle East country to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza StripQatars local media hewed tightly to government statements issued after Tuesdays attack which killed at least six people in a Doha neighbourhood that is home to foreign embassies and schools Qatar is ruled by a hereditary emir and tightly restricts speech like other Gulf Arab nationsThe strike on the territory of a US ally drew widespread condemnation from several countries in the Mideast and beyond It also marked a dramatic escalation in the region and risked upending talks aimed at ending the war and freeing hostages still held by Hamas in GazaHamas said in a statement Tuesday that its top leaders survived the strike but that five lowerlevel members were killed including the son of Khalil alHayya Hamas leader for Gaza and its top negotiator as well as three bodyguards and the head of alHayyas office Hamas which has sometimes only confirmed the assassination of its leaders months later offered no immediate proof that alHayya and other senior figures had survivedAl Jazeera the outspoken satellite news network funded by Qatars government described the attack in its headlines as a brutal aggression The Israeli government has banned Al Jazeera from operating in Israel or the West Bank amid the IsraelHamas war though its journalists still broadcast from the Gaza StripThe staterun Qatar News Agency noted that the countrys ruling emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a series of calls with world leaders including US President Donald TrumpSheikh Tamim condemned the attack and according to a readout of the call said that Qatar holds Israel responsible for its repercussions in light of the policy of aggression they adopt that threatens the regions stability and obstructs efforts to deescalate and reach sustainable diplomatic solutionsQatar Airways a major EastWest airline that operates out of the countrys massive Hamad International Airport sought to assure passengers their flights were safe and would not be interruptedQatar maintains a major arsenal of air defence systems including both Americanmade Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence or THAAD batteries However it doesnt immediately appear that Qatari air defences engaged during the attackSheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani Qatars prime minister and foreign minister said Tuesday night that iquestthe Israeli enemy used weapons that were not detected by radarHe did not elaborate but the statement suggests Israeli fighter jets could have launched socalled standoff missiles at a distance to strike the site without actually entering Qatari airspace possibly over the Persian GulfThe United States has said it warned Qatar before the strike Qatar disputes that with Sheikh Mohammed saying that the Americans sent a message 10 minutes after the attacks took place saying they were informed that there was going to be a missile attack on the state of QatarQatar is also home to the US militarys forward headquarters for its Mideastbased Central Command The headquarters located at the sprawling AlUdeid Air Base also has Americanrun radars and defence systems and recently hosted Trump on his tour of the region in MayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever