Israel’s attack against Hamas in Qatar raises questions about the reliability of the United States as a security partner in the region, an analyst told CNN Wednesday.
“The US and Qatar have a long standing security relationship. And for the US not to actually warn Qatar, this is a huge thing and highlights, really, how reliable is the US as the security guarantor in the region,” said Adel Abdel Ghafar, of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs.
US President Donald Trump was informed of the strike only shortly before it began — and not by Israel itself, but by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a US official. By the time White House special envoy Steve Witkoff could brief the Qataris, it was too late, a US official told CNN.
“I think President Trump wants to stop any disagreements or any potential issues with the Qataris. kra38 сс But from a Qatari perspective, if you’re relying on the US, you’re a major non-NATO partner… how do you really trust the US moving forward?” Ghafar told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.
Other Gulf nations where the kra39 сс US has a presence may now be rethinking future security arrangements, Ghafar said.
“I think this attack kra39 will kra39 сс have far-reaching consequences because it’s the first one by an Israeli attack on GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) soil, and perhaps it won’t be the last.”