The assault, the primary on the Gulf, caught them unexpectedly, in keeping with Qatar’s international ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari, who recollects feeling the prime minister’s residence shake with the interceptions that shortly adopted overhead.
Unease had gripped the Gulf Arab states that morning.
The glitzy, oil-rich capitals feared a worst-case state of affairs: an Iranian missile strike shattering their picture of stability after 12 days of struggle between Israel and Iran, which had culminated in a sequence of US strikes on Iranian nuclear services.
Bahrain, the place the US Naval Command is positioned, informed residents to not use primary roads and Kuwait, which hosts a number of US army bases, activated shelters in ministerial complexes.
In close by Dubai and Abu Dhabi, some residents had been reserving early flights out and others stocking up on provides.
In Doha, nervous residents had been on excessive alert.
US and UK residents within the nation had been informed to hunt shelter and American army personnel had been evacuated from the US-run Al Udeid Base.
Qatar’s early warning army radar system, one of the crucial superior within the area, and intelligence gathered indicated that Iranian missile batteries had moved towards Qatar earlier that day, the spokesperson mentioned – however nothing was sure till shortly earlier than the strikes.
“It might’ve been misdirected to guide us away from the precise goal. There was nonetheless a number of targets within the area…however in direction of the top it was very clear, their missile techniques had been sizzling and we had a really clear thought an hour earlier than the assault, Al Udeid Base was going to be focused,” a Qatari official with information of defence operations mentioned.
Round 7pm native time, Qatari officers had been knowledgeable by their army that Iran’s missiles had been airborne and heading in direction of Al Udeid base, Al-Ansari mentioned.
Qatar’s armed forces deployed 300 service members and activated a number of Qatari Patriot anti-air missile batteries throughout two websites to counter the 19 Iranian missiles roaring towards the nation, in keeping with Al-Ansari.
US President Donald Trump has mentioned that 14 missiles had been fired from Iran.
Qatari forces coordinated intently with the US, however the operation was “Qatari led,” Al- Ansari informed CNN.
Seven missiles had been intercepted over the Persian Gulf earlier than reaching Qatari soil, he mentioned.
One other 11 had been intercepted over Doha with out inflicting injury and one landed in an uninhibited space of the bottom inflicting minimal injury.
In accordance with Trump, Iran had given the US early discover forward of the assault.
Whereas Doha acquired intel from Washington, it didn’t obtain any warning immediately from the Iranians, in keeping with Al-Ansari – although officers had been nicely conscious that the US bases within the area might be focused.
“The Iranians informed us months in the past … if there was an assault by the US on Iranian soil that may make bases internet hosting American forces within the area official targets,” Al-Ansari mentioned.
Iran’s Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi mentioned that warning was reiterated to his Gulf counterparts in an Istanbul assembly a day earlier than Iranian strikes on Qatar.
Iran’s Nationwide Safety Council mentioned after the intercepted assault that its strikes had posed “no harmful side to our pleasant and brotherly nation of Qatar and its noble individuals.”
Nonetheless, Al-Ansari rejects hypothesis that Qatar – given its working relationship with Tehran – might need given a greenlight for the strikes with a purpose to create an off-ramp for regional escalation.
“We don’t take it flippantly for our nation to be attacked by missiles from any aspect and we’d by no means try this as a part of political posturing or a recreation within the area,” he mentioned.
“We might not put our individuals within the line of hazard. I might not put my daughter underneath missiles coming from the sky simply to come back out with a political consequence. This was an entire shock to us,” Ansari mentioned.
A ceasefire shortly follows
Within the moments after the assault, Trump known as Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani telling him the Israelis had been prepared to comply with a ceasefire and requested him to do the identical for the Iranians, in keeping with Al-Ansari.
“As we had been discussing methods to retaliate to this assault … that is after we get a name from america {that a} doable ceasefire, a doable avenue to regional safety had opened,” Ansari mentioned.
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Doha’s position as mediator shortly turned key within the aftermath of the strikes.
Qatar’s chief negotiator Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi spoke to the Iranians whereas the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was talking to US Vice President JD Vance.
Quickly, “we had been capable of safe a deal,” Al-Ansaris says – and within the nick of time.
“All choices had been on the desk that evening … we might have instantly retaliated or pulled again and say we’re not speaking to a rustic that despatched 19 missiles our method. However we additionally realised that was a second that would create momentum for peace in a area that hasn’t been there for 2 years now,” Ansari mentioned.
Shortly after, Trump declared on social media {that a} ceasefire between Iran and Israel had been brokered.
