The announcement was made not long after US officials shared that they had detected a potential threat aimed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, one of the key military hubs used by the United States in the region.
As a precautionary measure, American citizens living in Qatar were instructed to shelter in place. That meant they were advised to remain indoors and avoid going outside ‘until further notice’.
“The White House and the department of defence are aware of, and closely monitoring, potential threats.” the US government said in an official statement regarding the threat.
The United States became directly involved in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran over the weekend. It launched what it called Operation Midnight Hammer, a mission involving B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and submarines that struck three nuclear-related sites within Iran.
According to The Telegraph, Iran’s armed forces claimed they had fired a ‘devastating and powerful’ missile strike at the US-operated airbase located in Qatar.
On Iranian state television, the announcement described the missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base as ‘a mighty and successful response by the armed forces of Iran to America’s aggression’. It was presented as a powerful act of retaliation.
While President Trump had proudly stated that the US ‘obliterated’ its targets inside Iran, Iran warned that it would not hesitate to strike any nearby military bases belonging to countries that were seen as helping Israel directly.
Just before the missile strikes began, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted a message on X that read: “We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.”
According to reports from the Associated Press, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari confirmed that there were no injuries at Al Udeid Air Base. He also stated that ‘Qatar’s air defences successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missile’.
Additionally, the Ain al-Assad military base in Iraq was also reported to have come under fire during this wave of Iranian strikes.
