In the aftermath of the attack, Bahrain, which hosts the US 5th Fleet headquarters, temporarily halted flights in its airspace, mirroring actions taken by Qatar just before it faced the attack.
Qatar condemned the assault on Al Udeid Air Base, asserting that it successfully intercepted the short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. Iran claimed that their strike was proportional to the number of bombs the US dropped on Iranian nuclear sites over the preceding weekend.
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Iran also indicated that the base was targeted due to its location outside populated areas. These statements, made right after the strike, implied that Iran was seeking to de-escalate tensions with the United States, a sentiment echoed by President Donald Trump following the strikes on Iran early Sunday.
According to Iraqi sources, US officials informed them that missiles had been launched toward the Ain al-Assad base, where US troops are stationed in western Iraq, but those missiles never reached their destination, as reported by an Iraqi security official who requested anonymity.
A US military representative confirmed that there was no verified attack on the Iraqi base. This individual also spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to comment. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry denounced the assault by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as “a flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, its airspace, and international law.”
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