Latest news with #AlUdeidAirBase
Asharq Al-Awsat
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran Attack on Qatar Air Base Hit Geodesic Dome Used for US Communications, Satellite Photos Show
An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar that's key to the US military hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analyzed Friday by The Associated Press show. Hours after the publication of this AP report, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile had hit the dome. Qatar did not respond to requests for comment about the damage. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran — and provided Iran a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage — likely because of the fact that the US evacuated its aircraft from the base, which is home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command, before the attack. Trump also has said that Iran signaled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air defense to be ready for the attack, which briefly disrupted air travel in the Middle East, but otherwise didn't tip over into the regional war long feared by analysts. Images show burn marks, dome gone after attack Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The US Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, announced in 2016 the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known as a radome. Images taken June 25 and every day subsequently show the dome is gone, with some damage visible on a nearby building. The rest of the base appears largely untouched in the images.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran launches missile attacks on US base in Qatar
Editor's note: This is a developing story. It has been updated with additional reporting by The Associated Press. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar, retaliating for the American bombing of its nuclear sites but indicating it was prepared to step back from escalating tensions in the volatile region. The U.S. was warned by Iran in advance, and there were no casualties, said President Donald Trump, who dismissed the attack as a 'very weak response.' 'Most importantly, they've gotten it all out of their 'system,' and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE,' Trump posted on Truth Social. Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base as 'a flagrant violation' of its sovereignty, airspace and international law. Qatar said it intercepted all but one missile, though it was not clear if that missile caused any damage. Iran said the volley matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas. Those comments, made immediately after the attack, suggested Iran wanted to de-escalate with the United States, something Trump himself said after the strikes early Sunday on Iran. US troops, bases in Middle East could be targets in conflict with Iran Qatar Maj. Gen. Shayeq Al Hajri said 19 missiles were fired at the base that is home to the Combined Air Operations Center, which provides command and control of air power across the region, as well as the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, the largest such wing in the world. Trump said 14 missiles were fired, 13 were knocked down and one was 'set free' because it posed no threat. Trump said Iran might be able to 'proceed to Peace and Harmony' and said he would encourage Israel to do the same. However, Israel's war on Iran continued, with the Israeli military expanding its campaign Monday to target sites symbolic for the country's theocracy. Iran announced the attack on state television as martial music played. A caption on screen called it 'a mighty and successful response' to 'America's aggression.' Just before the explosions, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on the social platform X: 'We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer.' Earlier reports that a missile was launched at a base housing American forces in Iraq were a false alarm, a senior U.S. military official said. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said debris from a malfunctioning Iranian missile targeting Israel had triggered an alert of an impending attack on the Ain al-Assad base. On the 11th day of the conflict, Israel and Iran traded airstrikes that have become a reality for civilians in both countries since Israel started the war to target Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. Iran struck Israel with a barrage of missiles and drones while Israel said it attacked 'regime targets and government repression bodies in the heart of Tehran.' But Israeli officials insisted they did not seek the overthrow of Iran's government, their archenemy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The latest strikes unfolded only hours after Trump himself mentioned the possibility of regime change a day after inserting America into the war with its stealth-bomber strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. 'If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???' he asked on his Truth Social website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later described Trump as 'simply raising a question.' The U.S. strikes over the weekend prompted fears of a wider regional conflict. Iran said the U.S. had crossed 'a very big red line' with its risky gambit to strike with missiles and 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Israel aims to wind down the war in the coming days, but that will depend on the Iranians, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity to discuss high-level internal deliberations. Israel's preferred outcome is for Iran to agree to a ceasefire and reenter negotiations with the U.S. over its nuclear program, the official said. But Israel is prepared for the possibility of an extended low-intensity war of attrition or period of 'quiet for quiet,' in which it would closely monitor Iran's activities and strike if it identifies new threats. The Israeli military warned Iranians it would continue to attack military sites around Tehran as its focus shifted to include symbolic targets. The military issued the warning on the social platform X, though Iranians are struggling to access the outside world due to an internet shutdown. In Tehran, Israel hit the headquarters of the military force that suppressed recent protests and blew open a gate at Evin prison, which is notorious for holding political activists. Iranian state television shared black-and-white surveillance footage of the strike at the facility known for holding dual nationals and Westerners often used by Iran as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Evin also has specialized units for political prisoners run by the paramilitary, all-volunteer Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The facility is the target of both U.S. and European Union sanctions. There were no immediate reports of casualties in Iran or significant damage. Iranian state television aired footage it said was shot inside Evin, with prisoners under control. However, the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran said many families of detainees 'have expressed deep concern about the safety and condition of their loved ones' in the prison. According to an Israeli official familiar with the government's strategy, Israel is targeting these sites to put pressure on the Iranian administration but is not actively seeking to topple it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations. The Israeli military also confirmed it struck roads around Iran's Fordo enrichment facility to obstruct access to the site. The underground site was one of those hit in Sunday's attack by the United States. The Israeli military did not elaborate. In Vienna, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said he expected there to be heavy damage at the Fordo facility following Sunday's U.S. airstrike there with sophisticated bunker-buster bombs. Several Iranian officials, including Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi, have claimed Iran removed nuclear material from targeted sites ahead of time. Iran described its Monday attack on Israel as a new wave of its 'Operation True Promise 3,' saying it was targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv, according to Iranian state television. Explosions were also heard in Jerusalem, possibly from air defense systems in action, and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said there had been no reports of injuries. In Israel, at least 24 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from Iranian unrest such as the protests surrounding the death of Masha Amini in 2022, said of those killed, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel. Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Elise Morton in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Ella Joyner in Brussels and Stephanie Liechtenstein in Vienna contributed to this report.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Satellite photos suggest Iran attack on Qatar air base hit geodesic dome used for U.S. communications
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows damage after an Iranian attack at the Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar, June 25, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the U.S. military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analyzed Friday by The Associated Press show. The U.S. military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran — and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage — likely due to the fact that the U.S. evacuated its aircraft from the base home to the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command ahead of the attack. Trump also has said Iran signaled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air defence to be ready for the attack, which briefly disrupted air travel in the Middle East but otherwise didn't tip over into the regional war long feared by analysts. Images show burn marks, dome gone after attack Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The U.S. Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, in 2016 announced the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show of it show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known as a radome. Images taken June 25 and every day subsequently show the dome is gone, with some damage visible on a nearby building. The rest of the base appears largely untouched in the images. It's possible a fragment or something else struck the dome, but given the destruction of the dome, it was likely an Iranian attack, possibly with a bomb-carrying drone given the limited visible damage to surrounding structures. The London-based satellite news channel Iran International first reported on the damage, citing satellite photos taken by a different provider. Trump downplayed attack while Iran boasted about it In the U.S., Trump described the Iranian attack as a 'very weak response.' He had said Tehran fired 14 missiles, with 13 intercepted and one being 'set free' as it was going in a 'nonthreatening' direction. 'I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,' he wrote on his website Truth Social. After the attack, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insisted the air base had been the 'target of a destructive and powerful missile attack.' Iran's Supreme National Security Council also claimed the base had been 'smashed,' without offering any specific damage assessments. Potentially signaling he knew the dome had been hit, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei separately claimed the base's communications had been disconnected by the attack. 'All equipment of the base was completely destroyed and now the U.S. command stream and connection from Al Udeid base to its other military bases have been completely cut,' said Ahmad Alamolhoda, a hard-line cleric. Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report. Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
Al Arabiya
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Satellite photos suggest Iran attack on Qatar air base hit geodesic dome used for US comms
An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the US military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analyzed Friday by The Associated Press show. The US military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran — and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage — likely due to the fact that the US evacuated its aircraft from the base home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command ahead of the attack. Trump also has said Iran signaled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air defense to be ready for the attack, which briefly disrupted air travel in the Middle East but otherwise didn't tip over into the regional war long feared by analysts. Images show burn marks, dome gone after attack Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The US Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, in 2016 announced the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos of it show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known as a radome. Images taken June 25 and every day subsequently show the dome is gone, with some damage visible on a nearby building. The rest of the base appears largely untouched in the images. It's possible a fragment or something else struck the dome, but given the destruction of the dome, it was likely an Iranian attack, possibly with a bomb-carrying drone given the limited visible damage to surrounding structures. Trump downplayed attack while Iran boasted about it In the US, Trump described the Iranian attack as a 'very weak response.' He had said Tehran fired 14 missiles, with 13 intercepted and one being 'set free' as it was going in a 'nonthreatening' direction. 'I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," he wrote on his website Truth Social. After the attack, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) insisted the air base had been the 'target of a destructive and powerful missile attack.' Iran's Supreme National Security Council also claimed the base had been 'smashed,' without offering any specific damage assessments. Potentially signaling he knew the dome had been hit, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei separately claimed the base's communications had been disconnected by the attack. 'All equipment of the base was completely destroyed and now the US command stream and connection from Al Udeid base to its other military bases have been completely cut,' said Ahmad Alamolhoda, a hard-line cleric.
Washington Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Satellite photos suggest Iran attack on Qatar air base hit geodesic dome used for US communications
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the U.S. military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analyzed Friday by The Associated Press show. The U.S. military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran — and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war.
