What To Know About Al Udeid Air Base, Targeted By Iran
WASHINGTON, June 24(AP): Iran retaliated Monday for the U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites by targeting Al Udeid Air Base, a sprawling desert facility in Qatar that serves as a major regional military hub for American forces.
No American or Qatari personnel were harmed, the U.S. military's Central Command said, noting that the two forces worked together to defend the base. A Qatari military officer said one of 19 missiles fired by Iran was not intercepted and hit the base, but President Donald Trump said in a social media post that 'hardly any damage was done.'.
As of this month, the U.S. military had about 40,000 service members in the Middle East, according to a U.S. official. Many of them are on ships at sea as part of a bolstering of forces as the conflict escalated between Israel and Iran, according to the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations research and policy center.
Bases in the Middle East have been on heightened alert and taking additional security precautions in anticipation of potential strikes from Iran, while the Pentagon has shifted military aircraft and warships into and around the region during the conflict.
The U.S. has military sites spread across the region, including in Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
Here's a look at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar:
Al Udeid hosts thousands of service members
The base hosts thousands of U.S. service members and served as a major staging ground for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the height of both, Al Udeid housed some 10,000 U.S. troops, and that number dropped to about 8,000 as of 2022.
The forward headquarters of Central Command, it also was used in the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Al Udeid is built on a flat stretch of desert about 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Qatar's capital, Doha.
Over two decades, the gas-rich Gulf country has spent some $8 billion in developing the base, once considered so sensitive that American military officers would say only that it was somewhere 'in southwest Asia.'
Trump has visited Al Udeid
Trump visited the air base during a trip to the region last month.
It was the first time a sitting U.S. president had traveled to the installation in more than 20 years.
Al Udeid cleared its tarmacs
Last week, ahead of the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Al Udeid saw many of the transport planes, fighter jets and drones typically on its tarmac dispersed. In a June 18 satellite photo taken by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by The Associated Press, the air base's tarmac had emptied.
The U.S. military has not acknowledged the change, which came after ships off the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet base in Bahrain also had dispersed. That's typically a military strategy to ensure your fighting ships and planes aren't destroyed in case of an attack.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
28 minutes ago
- Arab Times
World shares rally after Trump-brokered shaky Israeli-Iran ceasefire
BANGKOK, June 24, (AP: Stocks rallied and oil prices fell on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced what appears to be a shaky ceasefire in the Israel-Iran war. A tentative truce proposed by Trump remained uncertain after Israel said Iran had launched missiles into its airspace less than three hours after the ceasefire went into effect. It vowed to retaliate. Still, investors took heart after Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a "complete and total ceasefire' soon after Iran launched limited missile attacks Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites over the weekend. The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.8% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.6%. "The Middle East may still be smoldering, but as far as markets are concerned, the fire alarm has been shut off,' Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. In early European trading, Germany's DAX leaped 1.8% to 23,679.64, while the CAC 40 in Paris added 1.2% to 7,631.07. Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.4% at 8,789.91. In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 38,790.56 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 2.1% to 24,177.07. The Shanghai Composite index climbed 1.2% to 3,420.57. In South Korea, the Kospi jumped 3% to 3,103.64, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 1% to 8,555.50. Taiwan's Taiex rose 2.1% and India's Sensex was up 0.6%. In Bangkok, the SET surged 2.5%. Oil prices fell further, after tumbling on Monday as fears subsided of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for shipping crude. The price of oil initially jumped 6% after trading began Sunday night, a signal of rising worries as investors got their first chance to react to the U.S. bombings. But it quickly shed all those gains, with U.S. benchmark crude falling 7.2%. It dropped further early Tuesday, giving up 2.4% to $66.85 per barrel. It had briefly topped $78. Brent crude, the international standard, shed 2.4% early Tuesday to $68.83. U.S. stocks rallied on Monday despite the United States' bunker-busting entry into its war with Israel. The S&P 500 climbed 1% and the Dow industrials gained 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite index advanced 0.9%. Iran's retaliation for the U.S. attacks appeared not to target the flow of oil. The fear throughout the Israel-Iran war has been that it could squeeze supplies, pumping up prices for crude, gasoline, and other products. Back in the U.S., Treasury yields eased after a top Federal Reserve official said she would support cutting rates at the Fed's next meeting, as long as "inflation pressures remain contained.' Investors will be watching for Fed. Chair Jerome Powell's comments to the U.S. Congress later Tuesday, analysts said. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 4.33% from 4.38% late Friday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, dropped to 3.83% from 3.90%. The Federal Reserve has been hesitant to cut interest rates this year because it's waiting to see how much higher tariffs imposed by Trump will hurt the U.S. economy and raise inflation. Inflation has remained relatively tame recently, but higher oil and gasoline prices would push it higher. That could keep the Fed on hold because cuts to rates can fan inflation while they also give the economy a boost. On Wall Street, Elon Musk's Tesla was the single strongest force pushing the S&P 500 higher after jumping 8.2%. The electric-vehicle company began a test run on Sunday of a small squad of self-driving cabs in Austin, Texas. It's something that Musk has long been touting and integral to Tesla's stock price being as high as it is. Hims & Hers Health tumbled 34.6% after Novo Nordisk said it will no longer work with the company to sell its popular Wegovy obesity drug. Novo Nordisk's stock that trades in the United States fell 5.5%. In currency dealings early Tuesday, the U.S. dollar fell to 145.44 Japanese yen from 146.15 yen late Monday. The euro rose to $1.1604 from $1.1578.
Arab Times
an hour ago
- Arab Times
Qatar Summons Iranian Ambassador, Files UN Complaint Over Missile Attack
DOHA, June 24: The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iranian Ambassador to Doha, Ali Abadi, on Tuesday morning to deliver a formal protest. The Ministry strongly condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, calling it a blatant violation of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace, as well as a breach of international law and the United Nations Charter. It emphasized that Qatar reserves the right to respond following international law. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan Al-Muraikhi, conveyed to the ambassador that the attack contradicts the principles of good neighborliness and the historically close ties between Qatar and Iran. He highlighted that Qatar has consistently advocated for dialogue with Iran and has made sustained diplomatic efforts to support peaceful engagement. Al-Muraikhi further underscored the urgent need to return to diplomatic channels, de-escalate tensions, and end military operations to help preserve regional and global stability. Meanwhile, The State of Qatar sent a letter to HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres and HE Permanent Representative of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of June Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, requesting that it be circulated to the members of the Security Council and issued as an official document of the Council. In the letter addressed by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani to the members of the Security Council and HE the UN Secretary-General, the State of Qatar informed them of an extremely dangerous escalation that represents a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar, posing a direct threat to regional peace and security. The letter noted that on Monday evening, the State of Qatar was subjected to a missile attack by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard targeting Al-Udeid Air Base, which was successfully intercepted by Qatari air defenses. The State of Qatar expressed its strong condemnation of the missile attack targeting the base, considering it a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law and the United Nations Charter. The State of Qatar stressed that it reserves the right to respond to the aggression in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with the Charter and international law.
Arab Times
an hour ago
- Arab Times
New York governor seeks to build the state's first new nuclear power plant in decades
NEW YORK, June 24, (AP): New York's governor on Monday proposed the construction of the state's first new nuclear power plant in decades. Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the state's power authority to develop an advanced, "zero-emission' facility in upstate New York that she hopes will help create a clean, reliable and affordable electric grid for the state. She said the state power authority will seek to develop "at least' one new nuclear energy facility with a combined capacity of no less than one gigawatt of electricity. That would increase the state's total nuclear capacity to about 4.3 gigawatts. The Democrat, speaking at the Niagara County Power Project in Lewiston, said the state needs to secure its "energy independence' if it wants to continue to attract large manufacturers that create good-paying jobs as it deactivates aging fossil fuel power plants. Acknowledging concerns with nuclear power, she pledged the new facility or facilities would be safer than their predecessors. "This is not your grandparents' nuclear reactor,' Hochul said. "The new plan will be a model of 21st century nuclear design with safety at the forefront, automatic safety systems to enhance the containment and rigorous environmental standards.' But Alfred Meyer, treasurer of Physicians for Social Responsibility's New York chapter, was unconvinced. He said nuclear power is a "very slow, expensive and dangerous' way to generate electricity that takes away resources from faster, cheaper renewable options while leaving behind highly toxic, radioactive waste. "Nuclear power is not clean or green energy,' he said. "It is damaging to public health and the environment.' Hochul said the state hasn't decided on a potential location, but that upstate communities appear receptive, given the potential for creating 1,600 construction jobs and 1,200 permanent jobs once the facility is operational. "Everybody is raising their hand right now,' Hochul said. "It's going to be hard to decide.' Among those likely in the running is the Nine Mile Point nuclear plant in Oswego. Hochul's administration has been supportive of Maryland power company Constellation's bid to build a new nuclear reactor at the two-reactor facility. There are 54 operating nuclear power plants in the country, according to the US Department of Energy. But American utilities have been broadly reluctant to launch new nuclear plants due to high cost overruns and delays on recent high-profile projects.
