- Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq closed airspace after Iran's missile attack on US base
- Iran attacked Al-Udeid air base in Qatar in retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities
- No US casualties reported from the missile attack on Al-Udeid air base by Iran
Airlines were on fresh alert late on Monday after Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Iraq, and Kuwait closed their countries' airspace temporarily as Iran attacked the Al Udeid US military base in Doha, the latest upheaval to air travel in the Middle East.
The Gulf is home to several US military bases.
Iran confirmed it had attacked Al-Udeid air base, the largest strategic asset of the US army in the West Asia region, in retaliation for American strikes on its nuclear facilities, adding its response did not "pose any threat" to Qatar, its Gulf neighbour.
"In response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran's nuclear sites and facilities, a few hours ago, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran struck the US air base in Al-Udeid, Qatar," Iran's National Security Council said in a statement, adding that the number of missiles used "was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used in attacking Iran's nuclear facilities".
"This action does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar," it added.
A US defence official confirmed that the Al Udeid air base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran, adding that "there are no reports of US casualties".
Condemning the attack on the US base in the region, Qatar called it a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty.
"We express the State of Qatar's strong condemnation of the attack on Al Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and consider it a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said in a statement.
Qatar temporarily closed its airspace, forcing planes to divert away from Doha - one of the world's busiest airports. In a post on social media, Qatar said this is part of a set of precautionary measures being taken based on developments in the region.
Bahrain also suspended air traffic temporarily.
"The Civil Aviation Affairs of the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications announced the temporary suspension of air navigation in the skies of the Kingdom of Bahrain as a precautionary measure in light of recent regional developments," said a statement carried by the official Bahrain News Agency.
Kuwait said it was closing its airspace "until further notice" after a similar move from Bahrain.
"In the interest of the country's security and safety, and in light of the precautionary measures taken in a number of neighbouring countries, which include the closure of their airports and airspace, the State of Kuwait announces the temporary closure of its airspace as a precautionary measure, effective today until further notice" the Kuwaiti Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
The United Arab Emirates too joined Qatar and Bahrain in closing its airspace, according to an analysis of flight paths and air traffic control audio by Flightradar24, a flight tracking website.
"Lots of aircraft are forced to turned around," the website said. Both countries are major hubs of international air travel.
