By Andrew Mills, Rachna Uppal and Yousef Saba

DOHA (Reuters) -Israel's strikes targeting Hamas in Doha, hot on the heels of an Iranian hit on a U.S. base in the Gulf nation in June, could shake Qatar's image as a stable business hub as it seeks to balance commercial goals with global diplomatic ambitions.

Qatar's determination to carve out a diplomatic role as a mediator in the Gaza war has already pulled it into a wider Middle East conflict. In June, Iran hit the al-Udeid military base in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, with most of the missiles intercepted in the skies above Doha.

On Tuesday, Israeli strikes on Palestinian militant group Hamas' political leadership put Qatar in the firing line again.

"Qatar is in the unique position of having suffered both Iranian and Israeli attacks within a few months," said Justin Alexander, director at Khalij Economics and Gulf analyst at GlobalSource Partners.

"There was little discernible impact from the Iranian strikes, but if this begins to look like a pattern, then risk perceptions may shift."

A Doha-based executive at a large Western firm, who declined to be named, told Reuters his company was still evaluating the situation, but business had resumed as normal a day after the strikes, as if nothing had........

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