DOHA/DUBAI >> Israel launched an airstrike against the leaders of arch foe Hamas in Qatar today, expanding its wide-ranging military actions in the Middle East to include the Gulf Arab state where the Palestinian Islamist group has long had its political base.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said hitting Hamas was a worthy goal, but the United States felt badly about the location of the attack.

Qatar is a key security partner of the United States and host to al-Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. It has acted as a mediator alongside Egypt in talks on a ceasefire in the almost two-year-old war in Gaza.

Leavitt told a briefing that the Trump administration was notified by the Pentagon that Israel was attacking Hamas in Qatar “just before” and Pr

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