Iran Strikes US Base in Qatar After Nuclear Site Attacks

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: AFP

A new video, which Iran reportedly released, shows the moment it fired a missile at a US air base in Qatar. This attack came just after the United States bombed some of Iran’s nuclear sites. The missile was launched from Iran and hit its target. The missile type used in the attack is not yet known. Iran gave this mission the name “Besharat Fatah,” which means “Good News of Victory.”

Iran said it hit the Al-Udeid air base, which is in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the attack. Qatar’s defence system was also activated quickly to respond to the missile threat. A report by Reuters said that Iran had informed Qatar ahead of time that it was going to strike the American base.

Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, said in a statement:
“The number of missiles we used is the same as the number of bombs America dropped on our nuclear sites. We made sure to target areas far away from homes and cities in Qatar to keep civilians safe.”

A spokesman from Iran’s Armed Forces added that this missile strike was carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, a powerful part of Iran’s military.

But Qatar was not happy with the attack. It strongly condemned Iran’s actions.
Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesman from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said,
“We strongly condemn this attack on the Al-Udeid Air Base. It is a clear violation of Qatar’s land, skies, and international law.”

Just a day earlier, the US had carried out powerful airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in places like Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. The US named this mission “Operation Midnight Hammer.” In this operation, the US used a very powerful bomb called the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), also known as a bunker-buster bomb. This was the first time this bomb was ever used in battle.

Seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were used in the attack. They flew for nearly 37 hours to complete their mission. The attack started at around 6:40 PM Eastern Time (2:10 AM in Iran) when the first B-2 dropped two bombs on the Fordow nuclear site. The rest of the bombers followed and dropped more bombs on other targets. In total, 14 bombs were dropped on two nuclear areas. All attacks took place between 6:40 PM and 7:05 PM Eastern Time.

This event marks a big change, as it’s the first time the United States has directly hit Iran’s land since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tensions in the region have now gone up sharply. Many around the world are closely watching what happens next.