Iran Strikes Back: Attacks on US Bases in Qatar and Iraq

Fears of a widening conflict in the Middle East continue to grow. Iran launched missiles at US bases in Qatar and Iraq on Monday, retaliating for American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend.

The United States has thousands of service members in the region, many stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

A US official told that Iran fired both short and medium-range ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base, but there were no reports of casualties. Qatari officials condemned the attack, stating that the missiles were intercepted.

The US Embassy in Qatar had issued a “shelter in place” alert earlier in the day, suggesting American officials may have anticipated a potential threat, and Qatari officials said the base had previously been evacuated.

"The number of missiles used in this successful operation was the same as the number of bombs used by the United States in its attack on Iran's nuclear facilities; and the base targeted in the attack by Iranian forces was far from urban facilities and residential areas in Qatar," a top Iranian official said.

The attack in western Iraq was targeted at Ain al-Assad base, where US troops are housed, according to the Associated Press. It's unclear if there were any casualties or damage there.

The attacks came roughly two days after the United States struck three of Iran’s nuclear sites. President Donald Trump said the operation caused “monumental damage.”

Pentagon officials described it as the largest operational deployment of B-2 bombers in US history, with more than a dozen 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs used in the assault.

The escalation has raised fears of a broader regional conflict, which began June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes that killed senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. Since then, Israel and Iran have exchanged near-daily strikes. Iran claims hundreds have been killed in the ongoing war, while Israel has reported limited casualties. However, some Iranian missiles have breached Israel’s Iron Dome defense system and caused damage to buildings.