Iran launched at least 10 missiles at two U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq on Monday in response to President Donald Trump bombing its nuclear labs over the weekend.
Tehran targeted Al Udeid Air Base in Doha – where more than 10,000 American troops and 100 aircraft, strategic bombers and tankers are stationed – in a strike as President Trump convened his national security team at the White House.
Explosions were heard in the sky above Doha as Patriot Air Defenses intercepted the barrage of missiles as all U.S. bases across the region were put on high alert.
It comes as Iran warned the United States will ‘directly pay’ for strikes on its nuclear facilities ‘rather than standing behind Israel,’ with the Islamic Republic prepared for a war lasting up to two years, a senior Iranian official told reporters.
Tehran’s mission to the UN said the US and Israel, as well as the Unite Kingdom, France and the International Atomic Energy Agency director personally, will all ‘bear full responsibility for the death of innocent civilians in Iran.’
Trump used 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs to hit its nuclear facilities on Saturday night, then sparked Iranian fury when he raised the prospect of regime change the next day.
Iranian state media warned that up to 50,000 American soldiers would be returned to Washington in ‘coffins’.
Israel also launched an attack on ‘regime targets’ in Tehran on Monday, with ‘hundreds’ of members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said to have been killed in a huge wave of strikes.
Footage shared to social media appears to show air defenses have been activated over Doha, Qatar after Iran fired missiles at US military bases.
The footage showed a number of missiles appearing to be intercepted in the night sky, similar to how Israel’s Iron Dome operates.
One of the attacks was aimed at the Al Udeid base in Qatar – America’s largest base in the Middle East – with missiles launched just after 12:30pm eastern time.
The missiles were intercepted, and no injuries or deaths were reported, according to Qatari officials.
Iran’s Armed Forces said that the attacks on the US bases were carried out by the Revolutionary Guards Corps, announcing that ‘we warn our enemies that the era of hit and run is over.’
Al Udeid air base is heavily fortified by a multitude of air defenses, which have been on alert since tensions escalated between Iran and the US over the weekend.
Donald Trump attacked three Iranian nuclear plants on Saturday night in Operation Midnight Hammer, significantly damaging the country’s nuclear capabilities.
Iran’s missile barrage response on Monday was same the number as bombs used by the US during their strike, which experts said showed Tehran’s desire to de-escalate.
It is the main hub for American and British air operations in the Persian Gulf, hosting some 11,000 American troops and more than 100 aircraft, including strategic bombers, tankers and surveillance assets.
Daily Mail Online