Iran launches missile strike on US military base in Qatar
Iran has attacked a US military base in Qatar in retaliation for the bombing of its nuclear facilities on Monday. Qatar says it intercepted the missiles and that there were no casualties.
The Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian regime's influential military corps, confirmed the attack on Al Udeid Air Base, located in the desert southwest of Doha. It is the largest US military base in the Middle East, housing US Central Command and around 10,000 soldiers.
The US Defence department confirmed that Iran had fired multiple medium range and ballistic missiles at Al Udeid. Qatar intercepted the missiles and confirmed there were no casualties. A Defense official told the New York Times that there is no known damage to the base.
According to AFP journalists, the explosions could be heard in the centre of Doha and in Lusail, a city north of the capital. Qatar condemned the attack as a violation of its sovereignty. Its Interior ministry later said that the situation in the country is “stable” and “there is no cause for concern.”
Symbolic attack
According to The New York Times, Iran informed Qatar of the attacks in advance. This was allegedly done to allow all sides to minimise casualties and avoid escalating the situation further. Iranian sources say Iran had to at least symbolically retaliate for the recent US bombing of Iranian targets.
Earlier, Qatar announced it was temporarily suspending air traffic as a precautionary measure. Kuwait and Bahrain decided to also close its airspace after Iran's attack.
The missile strike is a response to the United States attacking three nuclear complexes in Iran on Sunday. US president Donald Trump warned that the US would respond even more harshly to any retaliation from Iran. He has not yet commented on the attack.
A US military transport aircraft at the Al-Udeid air base in 2024. PHOTO © Giuseppe CACACE / AFP
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