Iran announced it had launched missiles at a major US base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation for American strikes on key nuclear facilities, with explosions ringing out in Doha and projectiles seen streaking overhead.
Qatar, which lies 190 kilometres south of Iran and is home to the largest US military facility in the Middle East, said its "air defences successfully intercepted a missile attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base."
Iran's National Security Council confirmed having targeted the base "in response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran's nuclear sites and facilities."
In its statement, the council said the number of missiles used "was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used," in a signal that it had calibrated its response to be directly proportional.
After more than a week of Israeli strikes on nuclear and military targets across Iran, the United States joined its ally's campaign on Sunday, carrying out attacks on three key Iranian nuclear facilities, including on an underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo using massive bunker-busting bombs.
With international concern mounting that Israel's campaign in Iran could lead to regional spillover -- concern that only intensified after the US strikes -- French President Emmanuel Macron said after the Iranian retaliation that "the spiral of chaos must end."
Iran's security council maintained that its "action does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar."
But Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said his country "reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportional to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression."
It’s much larger neighbour Saudi Arabia, historically a rival of Iran, condemned Tehran's attack "in the strongest terms," and offered "all its capabilities to support the sisterly State of Qatar in any measures it takes."
AFP reporters heard blasts in central Doha and in Lusail, north of the capital, on Monday evening, and saw projectiles moving across the night sky.
A US defence official said Al Udeid was "attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran," adding there were no immediate reports of casualties. Ansari said the base had been evacuated as a precaution ahead of time.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said six missiles had hit the base, according to state media.
Iranian official press agency IRNA had reported that missiles were also launched at a US base in Iraq, though the National Security Council made no mention of Iraq in its statement.
Iraqi security and military sources told AFP that Iran had not attacked US bases there "so far."
Earlier in the day Qatar had announced the temporary closure of its airspace in light of "developments in the region," while foreign embassies there including that of the United States had warned their citizens to shelter in place. Neighbouring Bahrain and Kuwait also temporarily halted air traffic in the wake of the missile attack.
President Donald Trump boasted that Sunday's strikes had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capabilities, but other officials said it was too soon to assess the impact on Iran's atomic program.
