Iran launched a retaliatory missile attack against the Al-Udeid U.S. airbase in Qatar on Monday following President Donald Trump’s military strikes against the country’s nuclear facilities on Saturday.
This is breaking news that will be updated as more information becomes available. Keep reading below.
According to Fox News, explosions were reported over Doha, Qatar, on Monday. The outlet noted that the Al-Udeid U.S. airbase, which is located near Doha, houses roughly 10,000 U.S. troops and is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East.
Following the missile attack, which was intercepted and thwarted by Qatar’s air defenses, a U.S. official told Fox News, “I can confirm that al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today. 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.”
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows explosions over Qatar during Iran’s attack on Monday.
In a statement on social media, Majed Al Ansari, a Qatari spokesperson, confirmed that Iran’s missile attack had been “successfully thwarted.”
“We reassure that Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles,” Ansari tweeted.
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“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the attack that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard,” the Qatari spokesperson added. “We consider this a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar.”
Three Iranian officials familiar with Monday’s attack plans told The New York Times that Iran notified Qatari officials prior to the missile attack in an effort to symbolically retaliate against the United States without further escalating the conflict in the Middle East.
According to Fox News, the U.S. Embassy in Qatar ordered Americans to shelter in place prior to Monday’s attack. The outlet noted that Qatar also temporarily closed its airspace ahead of Iran’s retaliatory missile attack.
In a Monday statement obtained by The New York Post, the White House said, “The White House and the Department of Defense are aware of, and closely monitoring, potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.”
