Missiles Reportedly Seen Over Qatar; Explosions boom
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Explosions boomed in Qatar on Monday night as witnesses said they saw what appeared to be missiles in the skies over the country.
There was no immediate acknowledgment from Qatari authorities of any attack.
The reports emerged as Qatar closed its airspace amid Iranian threats to retaliate against the United States over its bombing early Sunday of three Iranian nuclear sites.
Israel on Monday expanded its war against Iran to include targets associated with the country's struggling theocracy, striking the gate of a Tehran prison notorious for holding political activists and hitting the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests.
Meanwhile, Qatar, home to a major base for U.S. forces and a major regional airline, temporarily closed its airspace in the evening as a precaution amid threats of Iranian retaliation, the Foreign Ministry said. The closure came several hours after the U.S. and United Kingdom urged their citizens in the energy-rich nation to shelter in place without elaborating.
In the past, Iran has threatened American forces at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command. Qatar, across the Persian Gulf from Iran, maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.
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