Doha attack follows strikes between Israel and Iran as Donald Trump raises prospect of regime change in Tehran
Explosions were reported around the Qatari capital, Doha, late on Monday, as Tehran announced it had launched a missile attack on US bases in the Gulf state and Iraq, in what it said was retaliation for US participation in Israel’s bombing campaign against Iran the day before.
The attacks followed a wave of missile strikes between Israel and Iran, with Israel bombing the notorious Evin prison, and came after Donald Trump raised the prospect of regime change in Tehran, further provoking a situation that was drastically inflamed by US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
It was unclear whether any of Monday night’s Iranian missiles had evaded Qatari air defences and hit their targets. The Qatari defence minister was quoted by Al Jazeera television as claiming the country’s defences had intercepted the incoming missiles, and that there had been no injuries. Al Jazeera showed footage of debris, reportedly from intercepted missiles lying on an unidentified street, surrounded by residents.
A US defence official confirmed that Iran had targeted the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, in “a retaliatory but largely symbolic response” to the weekend US strikes.
