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Gas-rich Qatar is home to Al Udeid, which is the largest military base of the US in the Middle East and hosts the regional headquarters of the Pentagon’s Central Command
People film projectiles over Doha in Qatar on June 23. (Image: AFP)
After vowing to take “firm action” in response to US strikes on key nuclear sites, Iran launched missiles on Qatar on Monday. The attacks came shortly after the Gulf nation closed its airspace as a precaution amid threats from its neighbour.
Gas-rich Qatar, which lies 190 km south of Iran across the Gulf, is home to Al Udeid — the largest military base of the US in the Middle East, which hosts the regional headquarters of the Pentagon’s Central Command.
According to Iran’s state television, it attacked American forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base. A caption on screen called it “a mighty and successful response” to “America’s aggression” as martial music played.
The Associated Press reported there were numerous explosions heard over Doha as people in the capital stopped and looked up. Missiles flew and interceptors fired and struck at least one in the night sky.
The American embassy told its citizens to “shelter in place until further notice”. “The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region,” the foreign ministry said.
Top intelligence sources told News18 that they intercepted chatter from Iran and proxy groups like Kataib Hezbollah, who are planning coordinated drone and missile attacks across regional US installations. In a span of two weeks satellite imagery showed a 92 per cent drawdown at Al-Udeid, they said.
The sources said after this, 40 visible aircraft was dropped to only three by June 19, while tankers, bombers, and surveillance assets were moved to Europe and hardened bases in the UAE.
WHY AL-UDEID?
Al-Udeid is located less than 200 km from Iran and is CENTCOM’s nerve centre with more than 10,000 US and coalition troops.
The military base has drone fleets and the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC). The station is managing missions across 21 countries, making it both a tactical asset and an Iranian priority target.
WHAT DID IRAN SAY?
Iran justified its attacks on Qatar saying while it does not pose any threat to its “friendly and brotherly country”, this was a retaliation for American strikes. Hence, it said, it targeted a major US military base.
“In response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran’s nuclear sites and facilities, a few hours ago, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran struck the US air base in Al-Udeid, Qatar,” Iran’s National Security Council said in a statement, adding that the number of missiles used “was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities”.
It added: “This action does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar.”
Iran also launched missiles at a US military base in Iraq, official media reported. “The operation of Iranian missiles against American bases located in Qatar and in Iraq has begun, and is called ‘Blessing of Victory’,” the official press agency IRNA said.
WHAT DID QATAR SAY?
Qatar, meanwhile, said it successfully intercepted the Iranian missile attack on Al Udeid. It, however, condemned the attack on the US military base, calling it a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty.
“The Ministry of Defense announced that Qatari air defenses successfully intercepted a missile attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base,” it said in a statement, adding that “the incident did not result in any deaths or injuries”.
It added: “We express the State of Qatar’s strong condemnation of the attack on Al Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and consider it a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law.”
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
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