MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Iran targets US base in Qatar in retaliatory strike

At least three missiles hit their target, Iranian authorities claimed

Iran launched a missile attack Monday targeting the United States' Al Udeid air base in Qatar, in retaliation for strikes on its nuclear facilities during the weekend. The operation was named “Good News of Victory.”

”Following the open US military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities (...) the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the course of Operation 'Good News of Victory', subjected the US base of Al Udeid to devastating and powerful missile attacks,“ read a Government statement quoted by local broadcasting stations.

”The Islamic Republic of Iran will under no circumstances leave unanswered any aggression against its territorial integrity, sovereignty or national security,” Tehran insisted.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the strike, stating the number of missiles matched the bombs used in the US attack. The Al Udeid base, a key US strategic asset in the Middle East, houses 10,000 US troops and oversees regional military operations.

Qatar condemned the attack as a violation of its sovereignty, reporting no casualties due to successful missile interceptions, though Iranian media claimed at least three missiles hit the base.

Iran notified Qatar in advance to minimize civilian harm, and the strike was described as symbolic to allow for de-escalation.

Other regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq, closed their airspace amid fears of further strikes on US assets in Iraq.

Also Monday, Iran executed Mohammad-Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh by hanging for allegedly spying for Israel's Mossad. He was accused of leading a cyber network that conducted psychological and media operations against Iranian institutions, including filming sensitive sites and sending threatening packages. Iran linked him to Iran International, a London-based Persian-language channel critical of Tehran's regime, which Iran claims is tied to Israel.

This execution was the third of its kind in two weeks, raising concerns among human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, regarding the fairness of such trials.