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- 3m ago(18:09 GMT)
Full text: Qatar says it reserves right to respond in line with international law
Here’s the full statement by Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson of Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, following the Iranian attack against the Al Udeir Air Base:
“The State of Qatar strongly condemns the attack that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. We consider this a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter.
“We affirm that Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression, in line with international law.
“We reassure that Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles. A detailed statement regarding the circumstances of the attack will be issued later by the Ministry of Defense.
“We also emphasize that the continuation of such escalatory military actions will undermine security and stability in the region, dragging it into situations that could have catastrophic consequences for international peace and security.
“We call for the immediate cessation of all military actions and for a serious return to the negotiating table and dialogue.
“Furthermore, the State of Qatar was one of the first countries to warn against the dangers of Israeli escalation in the region. We have consistently called for diplomatic solutions to be prioritized and have stressed the importance of good-neighborliness and avoiding escalation.
“We reaffirm that dialogue is the only way to overcome the current crises and ensure the security of the region and the peace of its people.
“The base had been evacuated earlier, following established security and precautionary measures, given the tensions in the region. All necessary steps were taken to ensure the safety of personnel at the base, including Qatari Armed Forces members, friendly forces, and others. We confirm that no injuries or human casualties resulted from the attack.”
- 6m ago(18:06 GMT)
Photos: Interceptions over Doha
An interception takes place in the sky over Doha [Reuters] 
[Reuters] 
[Reuters] - 8m ago(18:04 GMT)
Iran’s attack tests Trump’s promise of limited involvement
After the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which Trump described as a “spectacular success”, the US president repeatedly suggested that Tehran should stand down to end hostilities with Washington.
At home, Trump’s aides tried to sell the US attacks – to an American public wary of another Middle East war – as limited and aimed at the specific goal of destroying Iran’s nuclear programme, but collapsing the country’s government.
But an Iranian response was inevitable. Today’s attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar highlights the danger of escalation.
Trump warned yesterday that the US could expand the war goals to “regime change”.
In 2020, Trump absorbed the Iranian response to the killing of General Qassem Soleimani – a missile attack on an air base hosting US troops in Iraq.
What happens next will depend on Trump’s reaction to the Iranian attack, as well as the scope of Tehran’s response and whether it will expand beyond targeting Al Udeid.
- 11m ago(18:01 GMT)
Iran’s strikes seem to be ‘symbolic’
Muhanad Seloom, an assistant professor in Ccritical Security Studies at the Doha Institute, says the significance of the attack is the escalation of the confrontation between Iran and the US, stressing that it is the first time ever Iran targeted US bases outside Iraq.
“They did that in the past in Iraq and that country has been a battleground between the US and Iran probably since 2003,” he said, stressing that those attacks have been “normalised”.
“Now this is going way beyond Iraq by attacking a third country such as Qatar.”
He reminded that Al Udeid Air Base, which was already evacuated, does not only have US troops but also Qatari troops.
“My immediate assessment is that Iran has already informed the US and probably Qatar des about the attack. And it looks like a symbolic attack.”
According to Seloom, the escalation between Iran and the US can go in two ways.
“In the first one, Iran might say this is face-saving and now it is time for negotiations.
“Or this would escalate in another direction – which is a very dangerous one – because the US would definitely respond to ongoing attacks that would target their personnel.”
- 15m ago(17:57 GMT)
Kuwait shuts down airspace temporarily
Kuwait has just announced the closure of it airspace amid regional escalation.
- 17m ago(17:55 GMT)
Iranian attack on US base in Qatar ‘clearly a message to US’
People here have never experienced this kind of environment, so it was certainly a very dramatic experience.
I also have had a lot of messages from people around the world, wondering what happened here and how this country could even be targeted.
But it’s important to understand that this was not intended to harm the civilian population, but it was clearly message to the US government and military that Iran has the capability to launch direct attacks on US military personnel in the Middle East.
It really is up to the United States mow this conflict moves forward whether or not we are going to see a trajectory of war engulfing this regionor whether they will choose this as an opportunity to see it as off-ramp to deescalate the situation.
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