Iran's military on Monday launched a "devastating and powerful" missile strike on the U.S. Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, following through on its threat to retaliate for recent American airstrikes as explosions echoed across Doha.
Qatar's defense minister, quoted by Al Jazeera TV, said its air defenses had intercepted missiles directed at the Al Udeid airbase, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, situated across the Gulf from Iran.
Qatari authorities said there were no casualties in the attack, which Doha condemned and said it reserved the right to respond.
The attack came shortly after a Western diplomat told Reuters there had been a credible threat to a U.S. military base in the Gulf state following the U.S. airstrikes on Iran.
In addition, the U.S. Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq had activated its air defense system out of concern of a potential attack, military sources told Reuters.
The White House and the Defense Department are closely monitoring potential threats to the Al Udeid airbase, a senior White House official said in Washington on Monday.
Shortly before, Qatar, a small, wealthy Gulf Arab state, announced it had closed its airspace temporarily to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.
That followed an advisory from the U.S. embassy in Qatar to Americans to shelter in place, out of what it said was "an abundance of caution."
Two U.S. officials said Washington had assessed that Iran could carry out attacks targeting American forces in the Middle East soon, although the U.S. was still seeking a diplomatic resolution that would see Tehran forgo any reprisal.
Earlier Monday, Israel bombed a jail for political prisoners in Tehran in a potent demonstration that it was expanding its targets beyond military and nuclear sites to aim squarely at the pillars of Iran's ruling system.
Despite Iran's threats to challenge oil shipments from the Gulf, oil prices largely held steady, suggesting traders doubted the Islamic Republic would follow through on any action that would disrupt global supplies.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as Tehran sought backing from one of its last major power friends for its next steps.
