US and Qatari troops and staff await US President Donald Trump at the Al-Udeid air base southwest of Doha on May 15, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Explosions were heard in Doha, a source told Fox News. Iranian state media reported that "Operation Fatah's Blessing against the American Al-Udeid base in Qatar has begun."
Just before the attack, Iran's President Mahmoud Pezeshkian issued a warning promising not to let Saturday's strikes on its nuclear facilities go "unanswered."
"We neither initiated the war nor wanted it; but we will not leave the aggression against #GreaterIran unanswered. We will stand by the security of this #belovednation with all our being and respond to every wound on Iran's body with faith, wisdom, and determination," he wrote on X.
But Iran gave Qatari officials advanced notice of the attacks, Iranian sources told the New York Times. It would be a strategy similar to the response to the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, where Iran needed to symbolically respond without escalating the conflict beyond what it could handle.
An illustration shows facts about the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. (Fox News)
Qatar has walked a tight line between friendly relations with the U.S., through efforts to expand the base, and with Iran. Prior to the attack, Qatar suspended all flights and promised to "take all necessary preventive measures."
The attack was not entirely unexpected – satellite images showed the U.S. moved most of its unhangered aircraft out of Al Udeid last week.
Iran vowed to retaliate against the U.S. after American B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker buster bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites.
"The criminal US must know that in addition to punishing its illegitimate and aggressive offspring, the hands of Islam’s fighters within the armed forces have been freed to take any action against its interests and military, and we will never back down in this regard," Abdolrahim Mousavi, the new chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, warned in a statement.
US TROOPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST COULD FACE INCREASED THREATS AMID IRAN CONFLICT: ‘IRREPARABLE DAMAGE’
Trump visited Al Udeid base in Qatar last month. (Reuters)
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But Trump warned Iran after Saturday’s strikes on its nuclear hubs: "Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight."
The air base also hosts an array of military assets: B-52 strategic bombers, C-17 Globemaster transports and RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, in addition to 379th Air Expeditionary Wing's airlift, aerial refueling, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Fox News' Thomas Ferraro contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iran-retaliatory-strikes-us-air-base-qatar