Iran Drops Footage of Missile Strike on Al Udeid Base in Qatar

A video, reportedly from Iran, captures the moment Tehran launched a missile targeting a US air base in Qatar. This was in retaliation for American strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. The missile type remains unidentified. The footage shows the missile lifting off from an Iranian launch pad and hitting its target. Iran named this operation Besharat Fatah.

Iran claims it targeted the Al-Udeid base in Doha, Qatar's capital. Fortunately, no casualties were reported at the airbase or in the city. Qatar's air defence systems were activated during the incident. According to Reuters, Iran had informed Qatar about the impending attack on the US base beforehand.

US Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites

The day before, the US conducted attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Eshafan. This operation was called Operation Midnight Hammer. The US used GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs for these strikes. Seven B-2 Spirit bombers flew for 37 hours to execute this mission.

At around 6:40 pm Eastern Standard Time (2:10 am Iran time), the lead B-2 bomber dropped two GBU-57 MOP weapons on Fordow's first aim point. Other bombers followed suit, with a total of 14 MOPs deployed across two nuclear target areas. All three Iranian nuclear sites were hit between 6:40 pm and 7:05 pm Eastern Time.

Reactions to Missile Strike

A spokesman for Iran's Armed Forces stated that the Revolutionary Guards Corps carried out the attacks on the American base in Qatar. In response, Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base as a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty and airspace.

"We express the State of Qatar's strong condemnation of the attack on Al Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and consider it a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement.

Details of Missile Launch

The number of missiles used by Iran matched the number of bombs dropped by the US on its nuclear facilities. The targeted base was situated away from urban areas in Qatar to minimize civilian risk, according to a statement from Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretariat.

This marked the first direct US attack on Iran since its Islamic revolution in 1979. Notably, it was also the first combat use of the GBU-57 MOP bomb, which can only be fitted onto B-2 bombers.