Compiled from news service reports
Iran launched a missile attack against the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday.
The base is the United States’ largest military installation in the Middle East and has served as the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command since 2009.
Iran said it launched a number of missiles at the base. It said the attack equaled the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Qatar’s ministry of defense said that it intercepted the missiles and that there were no casualties.
An official for the Department of Defense confirmed Iran’s attack against the Al Udeid U.S. military base in Qatar and said in an email that the Pentagon is closely monitoring the situation.
“I can confirm that al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today,” the official said. “At this time, there are no reports of U.S. casualties. We are monitoring this situation closely and will provide more information as it becomes available.”
The attack is the first time that Al Udeid has ever been directly targeted by a foreign power.
Israel continued its strikes on Iran Monday, hitting the headquarters of the Iranian paramilitary’s Basij militia and other key targets, the Israel Defense Forces wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Qatar Condemns Attack, Says It Retains Right to Retaliate
Qatar’s foreign ministry said that it retained the right to respond to Iran’s attack, and considered the missile launch a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, and international law.”
“We affirm that Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression, in line with international law,” foreign affairs spokesman Majed al-Ansari posted on social media platform X.
Iran said in a statement that its retaliatory attacks were away from populated areas in Qatar.
“The base targeted by Iran’s powerful forces was also a significant distance from urban facilities and residential areas in Qatar,” the country’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.
“This action posed no danger to our friendly and brotherly nation of Qatar and its honorable people,” it added. “The Islamic Republic of Iran remains committed to preserving and continuing its warm and historic relations with Qatar.”
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Attack
Saudi Arabia condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks on a U.S. military base in Qatar.
The kingdom said in a statement on social media platform X that it “expresses its condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms possible, the aggression launched by Iran against the brotherly State of Qatar, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the principles of good neighborliness, and an entirely unacceptable act that cannot be justified under any circumstances.”
Saudi Arabia went on to say that it “affirms its full solidarity with and unwavering support for the State of Qatar and places all its capabilities at Qatar’s disposal in support of any measures it may take.”
EgyptAir Cancels Flights, Bahrain and UAE Close Airspaces
EgyptAir, the national airline of Egypt, has canceled flights in the Middle East in light of Iran’s attack on U.S. military assets.
The nations of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspaces shortly after Iran’s attack on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Air raid sirens were heard in Bahrain, where the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters is located. The U.S. Air Force’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing likewise is stationed in the UAE.
It is unclear at this time if the airspace closures corresponded to direct threats or were taken in response to the attack against nearby Qatar.
Andrew Thornebrooke, Jackson Richman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
