Qatar has intercepted missiles Iran shot toward the country, according to a Qatari official, as Iran apparently retaliated for U.S. strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities this past weekend.
“We reassure that Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles,” Majed Al Ansari, adviser to the Qatari prime minister and spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement posted to X.
Ansari wrote that Qatar “strongly condemns” the attack and the nation “reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression, in line with international law.”
The New York Times reported Iran “coordinated the attacks on the American air base in Qatar with Qatari officials and gave advanced notice that attacks were coming to minimize casualties,” citing Iranian officials.
Iran International English reported that Iran’s state TV announced the start of the country’s “Operation Glad Tidings of Victory against US forces in Qatar’s Al-Udeid Air Base.” Israeli officials told Axios that Iran launched six missiles, and The Wall Street Journal said videos filmed by Qatari residents “showed what appeared to be an aerial attack.”
Earlier, a senior White House official said “The White House and the Department of Defense are aware of, and closely monitoring, potential threats to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.”
The news that the strikes were imminent was reported by multiple outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News. The Journal reported Iran was moving missile launchers into place “in response to the surprise American strike on three nuclear sites over the weekend.”
Qatar has temporarily closed its airspace, and the U.S. Embassy in Qatar also issued a shelter-in-place recommendation on Monday, “out of an abundance of caution.”
The United States reportedly moved aircraft and ships from bases in the Middle East last week — including the Al Udeid base and the port in Bahrain — in anticipation of a possible attack from Iran. Iran warned last week that it would respond “strongly” if the United States entered the war.
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Nuha Dolby is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow. Jasmine Wright is a reporter at NOTUS.