Iran on Monday night fired 10 ballistic missiles at the US Central Command (CENTCOM)'s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and one ballistic missile at an American base in Iraq in retaliation for Washington's attack on three Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning, multiple sources told The Jerusalem Post.
Social media showed a slew of anti missile interceptors fired by American forces to try to shoot down the threats and explosions were heard over Doha, Qatar's capital on Monday evening.
No US personnel were killed or injured in Iran's attack against Al Udeid Air Base, two US officials told Reuters on Monday.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Iranian attack was carried out by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles.
Authorities had previously issued a warning that Al Udeid - the largest American base in the Middle East - could be the target of an imminent Iranian attack, the Post was told on Monday evening by a source familiar with the details.
Al Udeid Air Base is the forward headquarters for US Central Command (CENTCOM), accommodating approximately 10,000 troops, and the Islamic Republic launched the attack, despite the fact that Qatar has often been one of its key allies.
It was unclear how many Qataris had been endangered or if Tehran's weaponry was precise enough to only endanger American forces.
Air defense systems were activated in Ain al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, a US military source told Reuters. A maximum alert status was declared with personnel ordered to take shelter in bunkers, the source added.
Qatar temporarily closes airspace
Qatar said it has shut down airspace temporarily as part of measures taken amid developments in the region, a statement by the Qatari foreign ministry said on X.
This is a temporary closure for a few hours, and indicated the possibility that the Iranian attack could occur later in the evening, the source told the Post.
The shutdown of Qatari airspace came as Iran repeated earlier threats to retaliate against the United States after strikes on its nuclear sites.
Iran moved missile launchers into place for a potential attack on US forces according to officials cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Washington is tracking a credible threat to CENTCOM's bases in the region, one of the officials said.
The US embassy in Qatar emailed US citizens in the Gulf country on Monday recommending that they shelter in place until further notice, triggering a slew of messages from various Doha-based institutions to employees and students while Qatar maintained the situation was stable.
The embassy's advice came as Iran repeated earlier threats to retaliate against the United States after strikes on its nuclear sites.
The US embassy message noted that the recommendation was "out of an abundance of caution" and offered no further information.
Commenting on the message, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said in a statement that the security situation in the country remained stable, adding that the embassy's advisory did not suggest any specific threat.
This is a developing story.