What to know about the Al Udeid air base in the United States in Qatar after the attack on Iran | Soldiers

Iran responded to the direct involvement of the United States in the Iran-Israeli conflict by targeting its military assets in the Middle East.

Ali Akbar Velayati, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday, Ali Akbar Velayati, announced that the bases used by American forces “in the region or elsewhere” could be attacked in retaliation for American attacks on Iran’s underground nuclear sites the day before.

Later in the evening, explosions were heard in the capital of Qatar, Doha, while Iran attacked the Al Udeid air base, the largest American military base in the Middle East.

Here is everything you need to know about Al Udeid:

What is Al Udeid?

Qatar rich in gas, which is 190 km (120 miles) in the south of Iran across the Gulf, is home to the largest American military base in the region, Al Udeid.

The basis of 24 hectares (60 acres), in the desert outside the Capital Doha, was created in 1996 and is the front headquarters for the US central command, which directs American military operations in a large strip of territory which extends from Egypt to the west in Kazakhstan in the East.

It houses the air force of Qatar Emiri, the US Air Force, the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom and other foreign forces.

It houses around 10,000 soldiers.

Earlier this year, The Hill, a newspaper based in Washington, DC, reported that the “long and well -maintained tracks of Al Udeid allowed a rapid deployment, which makes it an essential element of the projection of American force”.

The hill also indicated that Qatar’s investment in Al Udeid kept it “at the forefront of military preparation while allowing us taxpayers to allow us taxpayers to billions of dollars”. Over the years, he said, Qatar had spent more than $ 8 billion in upgrading infrastructure.

The base played a central role in air campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in humanitarian missions, including the evacuation of Kabul in 2021.

Why is it in the news?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar announced on Monday announced that it had temporarily closed its airspace among the Iranian retaliation threats.

“The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s air space, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken according to developments in the region,” said the ministry.

The closure occurred several hours after the American and British embassies urged their citizens in Qatar to shelter in place of what he said was “an abundance of prudence”.

Later, the reuters news agency cited a Western diplomat saying that there had been a credible Iranian threat against Al Udeid since noon on Monday.

That evening, the Minister of Defense of Qatar, quoted by Al Jazeera, said that the country’s air defenses had intercepted missiles against Al Udeid.

Was Al Udeid prepared for the attack?

Before targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, it seems that the United States has started to take precautionary measures.

While US President Donald Trump has thought about direct participation in the Iran-Israeli conflict, the AFP news agency reported that dozens of American military planes were no longer on the tarmac at air base, based on his assessment on satellite images published by Planet Labs PBC.

Nearly 40 military planes – including transport aircraft such as Hercules C -130 and recognition planes – were parked on the Tarmac at the base, the regional headquarters of the central command of the Pentagon, on June 5. But in an image taken on June 19, only three planes were visible.

An American official who spoke to Reuters said that planes that were not in hardened shelters had been moved from the Al Udeid base. In addition, he said that the American navy ships had been moved by a port of Bahrain, where the 5th fleet of the American army is located.

“It is not a rare practice,” said the manager. “Forces protection is priority.”

Was Al Udeid involved in American attacks on nuclear sites?

No.

Before the American attack on nuclear sites on Sunday, it was reported that B -2 bombers were heading for Guam – a cunning, as it turned out.

While all eyes seemed west, seven stealth b-2 bombers took off from the base of Air Force Whiteman in Missouri in the United States at 00:01 East (04:01 GMT), according to the Pentagon. Top secret flights directly flew over the Atlantic to Iran.

None of the American bases in the Middle East were deployed in the American offensive on Iran.

How did Qatar respond to the attack on Al Udeid?

Qatar condemned the attack on air base, calling it “blatant violation” of its sovereignty.

“We express the strong condemnation by Qatar of the attack on the Al Udeid air base by the Iranian body of the revolutionary guard, and consider it as a blatant violation of the sovereignty and air space of Qatar, as well as international law,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed Al-Ansari, in a declaration.

Iran and Qatar enjoy fraternal diplomatic relations. Qatar condemned American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.