Within the late hours of June 23 the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missile strikes on Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar. Footage has confirmed the big scale use of U.S. Army MIM-104 Patriot lengthy vary air defence techniques to intercept the strike, with explosions filmed from the skies of Doha. The U.S. Central Command has claimed profitable defence towards the strike, which was launched utilizing each quick and medium vary ballistic missiles, with President Donald Trump reporting that the assault was a “very weak response, which we anticipated, and have very successfully countered.” Different stories indicated that at the least three missiles hit the ability. The Iranian strike responded to the U.S. Air Drive and Navy’s strikes on the Natanz and Fordow nuclear amenities on June 22, which introduced the US actively into the warfare that had been initiated by Israel on June 13. Satellite tv for pc footage confirmed that Al Udeid Air Base had been evacuated greater than per week earlier than the US launched its assault, with it and different amenities close to Iran thought of significantly susceptible to missile and drone assaults.
Commenting on the assault, the Revolutionary Guard Corps said relating to Al Udeid: “This base is the headquarters of the Air Drive and the most important strategic asset of the U.S. terrorist military within the West Asia area.” The power gained larger significance for American operations within the area from early 2024 after the United Arab Emirates reportedly positioned larger restrictions on air operations from its personal amenities, specifically Al Dhafra Airbase, which alongside Al Udeid is likely one of the main hubs of operations. Iran has attacked American navy amenities within the Center East prior to now, with a missile strike on January 8, 2020, having focused amenities in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of Revolutionary Guard Basic Qasem Soleimani 5 days prior. The assault induced over 100 U.S. casualties. Iranian drone and missile assaults have additionally repeatedly confirmed able to evading Patriot air defence techniques prior to now, which was reportedly a main issue within the Israeli choice to retire its personal techniques from service regardless of ongoing threats.
With Al Udeid having been evacuated, the comparatively small assault on the ability seems to have been largely symbolic, though even when the ability was not hit, which stays unsure, the expenditure of huge numbers of interceptors from Patriot techniques will nonetheless impose very important prices on the U.S. Army far exceeding the prices of the missiles launched. That is significantly important because of the main shortages of Patriot provides which the Russian-Ukrainian Warfare has induced. Iran has centered the majority of its retaliatory strikes on America’s shut strategic accomplice Israel, for which most of the nation’s most superior missile lessons have been used with excessive charges of success.
Qatar at the moment serves not solely as a number one hub for American operations within the Center East, but in addition as a key strategic accomplice for Western Bloc and Israeli pursuits. The nation performed a number one function alongside Turkey, Israel and the US in sponsoring an Islamist insurgency towards Iran’s shut strategic accomplice Syria from 2011, culminating in Damascus’ defeat in December 2024, which was key to paving the best way in direction of the present assault on Iran. The very appreciable attain of Qatari media within the Arab and Islamic world has additionally performed key roles in shifting public opinion towards Iran, and beforehand towards Syria, whereas the Qatari Armed Forces have emerged as key purchasers for U.S. and Israeli armaments within the area. Qatari forces train commonly with these from the US, and in April 2025 carried out their first workouts with the Israeli Air Drive.
