What we know about the U.S. airbase in Qatar targeted by Iran
Iran retaliated Monday for the U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites by targeting Al Udeid airbase, a sprawling desert facility in Qatar that serves as a main regional military hub for American forces.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that no Americans were harmed and "hardly any damage was done." A Qatari military officer said one of the 19 missiles fired by Iran was not intercepted and hit the base.
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, a research and policy centre.
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.
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 the U.S. military's Central Command, it also was used in the fight against the Islamic State. or ISIS, in Iraq and Syria.
Al Udeid is built on a flat stretch of desert about 30 kilometres southwest of Qatar's capital, Doha.
Over two decades, the gas-rich Gulf country has spent some $8 billion US in developing the base, once considered so sensitive that American military officers would say only that it was somewhere "in southwest Asia."
WATCH | Why some say the U.S. couldn't afford to wait to strike Iran:
Israel, U.S. couldn't afford to wait to hit Iranian nuclear sites: former commander
2 hours ago
Duration 8:13
Trump has visited Al Udeid
Trump visited the airbase during a trip to the region last month.
It was the first time a sitting U.S. president had travelled 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 airbase'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 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
CTV News
4 minutes ago
- CTV News
Israel revokes visas for some Australian diplomats
In this image taken from video, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during a press conference, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, in Canberra, Australia. (Australia Pool via AP) TEL AVIV/SYDNEY — Israel's foreign minister said on Monday he had revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority, following a decision by Canberra to recognize a Palestinian state and cancel an Israeli lawmaker's visa. The Australian government said it had cancelled the visa of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition who has advocated against Palestinian statehood and called for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Australia's ambassador to Israel had been informed that the visas of representatives to the Palestinian Authority had been revoked. Like many countries, Australia maintains an embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv and a representative office to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Ramallah. 'I also instructed the Israeli Embassy in Canberra to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry to Israel,' Saar wrote on X, describing Australia's refusal to grant visas to some Israelis as 'unjustifiable.' Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called Israel's decision an 'unjustified reaction.' 'At a time when dialog and diplomacy are needed more than ever, the Netanyahu government is isolating Israel and undermining international efforts towards peace and a two-state solution,' Wong said in a statement. The Palestinian foreign ministry issued a statement condemning Israel's decision as illegal and 'in violation of international law. Australia is set to recognize a Palestinian state next month, a move it says it hopes will contribute to international momentum towards a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza. Invitation by Jewish organization Simcha Rothman, a parliamentarian from the Religious Zionism party led by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, had been scheduled to visit Australia this month at the invitation of a conservative Jewish organization. Rothman said he was told his visa had been cancelled over remarks the Australian government considered controversial and inflammatory, including his assertion that Palestinian statehood would lead to the destruction of the state of Israel and his call for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank. 'Nothing that I said personally has not been said over and over again by the vast majority of the public in Israel and the government of Israel,' Rothman told Reuters by phone. Rothman said he had been informed that his views would cause unrest among Australian Muslims. Asked about Canberra's decision on Palestinian statehood, Rothman said that would be a 'grave mistake and a huge reward for Hamas and for terror.' Australia's Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said the government took a hard line on those who sought to spread division in Australia, and that anyone coming to promote a message of hate and division was not welcome. 'Under our government, Australia will be a country where everyone can be safe, and feel safe,' he said in a statement. The Home Affairs Ministry declined further comment. Rothman had been invited by the Australian Jewish Association to meet members of the Jewish community and show solidarity in the face of 'a wave of antisemitism,' AJA Chief Executive Robert Gregory said. In June, Australia and four other countries imposed sanctions on Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over accusations of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
CBC
14 minutes ago
- CBC
Zelenskyy says security guarantees key to ending war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped Monday's meeting at the White House with several European leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump would lead to trilateral talks with Russian President Vladamir Putin and a permanent end to Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Toronto Star
34 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Trump urges direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, says war can reach endgame within weeks
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders that a potential ceasefire and who gets Ukrainian territory seized by Russia should be hashed out during a face-to-face meeting between the warring countries' two leaders. Trump made the comments days after he hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks at a U.S. military base in Alaska in which he tilted toward Putin's demands that Ukraine make concessions over land seized by Russia, which now controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
