Israel carried out a surprise airstrike on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday — taking aim at terrorist billionaires long sheltered by a country that is considered a strong U.S. ally, and where the U.S. has an airbase.

Explosions were reported to have hit Doha on Tuesday, at first without any formal explanation.

Hamas leaders have enjoyed a luxurious exile in Doha, living in plus five-star hotels and posh homes.

The Israel Defense forces and Israel Security Agency (ISA, Shin Bet, or Shabak) released a statement, in which they did not mention Doha directly:

The IDF and ISA conducted a precise strike targeting the senior leadership of the Hamas terrorist organization. 

For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7th massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel. 

Prior to the strike, measures were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and additional intelligence.

The IDF and ISA will continue to operate with determination in order to defeat the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for the October 7th massacre.

Until now, Israel had refrained from taking action against Hamas leaders in Qatar, which hosts an American air base at Al Udeid, the headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). President Joe Biden also designated Qatar as a “major non-NATO ally” in 2022.

President Trump visited Al Udeid during his visit to the region in May.

The Times of Israel reported that Qatar condemned the attack, while confirmed Hamas as the target:

Saying that the strike “targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari says that the “criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.”

The attack appeared to be an embarrassment for Qatar, which claimed to have shot down Iranian missiles in June, in a supposed demonstration of its air defenses.

However, a source told Breitbart News that the U.S. likely approved the airstrike, and that Qatar had also probably been informed about it, despite appearances.

Qatar, with Egypt, has acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas in negotiations to release Israeli hostages.

Update: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement:

Today’s action against the top terrorist chieftains of Hamas was a wholly independent Israeli operation.

Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Zionist Conspiracy Wants You, now available on Amazon. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.