The United States foresaw Iran’s retaliation following the assault on its nuclear facilities, which materialized in the form of a missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base located in Qatar. As reported by CNN, U.S. defense officials verified that Iran launched both short- and medium-range ballistic missiles targeting the base on June 21.
In a calculated strategy, the U.S. had previously repositioned military aircraft from Al Udeid several days prior to the attack. Satellite imagery captured on June 19 revealed vacant tarmacs, indicating preparations in response to escalating tensions in the Middle East. There were no reported casualties among U.S. personnel.
Two defense officials from the U.S. informed CNN that this relocation was a precautionary step to protect military assets. Additionally, U.S. Navy vessels departed from their base in Bahrain ahead of the strike, with their current locations remaining undisclosed.
The Defense Ministry of Qatar announced that its air defense systems successfully intercepted the incoming missiles. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the attack was successfully repelled without any casualties.
A senior official from the White House remarked, “We anticipated their retaliation,” drawing a parallel to the events following the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in 2020. Iran asserted that it launched a number of missiles equivalent to the bombs that were dropped on its nuclear facilities, targeting solely military sites to prevent civilian casualties.
In his initial comments on Truth Social, President Trump refrained from directly addressing the strike. Instead, he criticized the media’s portrayal of the U.S. attack on Iran, labeling reports that minimized its effectiveness as “Fake News.”
The White House, along with the Department of Defense, released a joint statement affirming that they are vigilantly monitoring the situation and are prepared to take action if necessary.
