By Farnaz Fassihi, Jonathan Swan, Ronen Bergman, Aaron Boxerman and Adam Rasgon
Iran on Monday launched a military attack on an American base in Qatar, the largest American military installation in the Middle East, in retaliation for U.S. strikes on three critical nuclear sites.
Qatar said that its air defenses had intercepted the missiles and condemned the Iranian attack. The Defense Department said there were no reports of U.S. casualties at the base, Al Udeid.
The strike stoked fears that the conflict with Iran could intensify, drawing in the United States further and expanding it across the region. Al Udeid Air Base serves as the forward headquarters for the U.S. Central Command, and was considered a prime potential target for Iranian retaliation after the U.S. strikes over the weekend.
Three Iranian officials said that Iran had given advance notice that attacks were coming, as a way to minimize casualties. The officials said Iran needed to be seen striking back at the United States, but in a way that allowed all sides an exit ramp. They described it as a similar strategy to one used in 2020, when Iran gave a heads-up before firing ballistic missiles at an American base in Iraq after the assassination of its top general.
An Israeli official said that there was an early warning given by Iran about the attack, though the person did not say through which channel or to which country. The officials all spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.
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