Iran Releases Video Claiming Hit On US' Al Udeid Base In Qatar

A video, reportedly released by Iran, shows the moment Tehran launched a missile to strike a US air base in neighbouring Qatar in response to the American strikes on its nuclear facilities. The type of missile used by Iran in the strike is still unknown. The video showed the missile's lift off from one of the launch pads of Iran and then striking the target. Iran codenamed the operation Besharat Fatah.

Iran claims it struck the Al-Udeid base of the United States in Qatar's capital city, Doha. No casualties have been reported at the airbase or in the city, and air defence systems of Qatar were activated. A Reuters report stated that Iran had informed Qatar in advance of the attack on the US air base.

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"The number of missiles used in this successful operation was equal to the number of bombs the United States used in its assault on Iran's nuclear facilities. The targeted base was also located far from urban areas and residential zones in Qatar, ensuring minimal risk to civilians," read a statement from the Secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. 

A spokesman for Iran's Armed Forces said the attacks on the American base in Qatar were carried out by the Revolutionary Guards Corps. 

Condemning the attack on the largest US military base in the region, hosted in the Gulf state, 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.

Yesterday, the US conducted strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities - Fordow, Natanz and Eshafan. Codenamed  Operation Midnight Hammer, the US struck with the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb to hit the target. Seven B-2 Spirit bombers flew for 37 hours for the unprecedented operation. This was the first time the US had directly attacked Iran, especially since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

At approximately 6.40 pm Eastern Standard Time, 2.10 am Iran time, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) weapons on the first of several aim points at Fordow. The remaining bombers then hit their targets as well, with a total of 14 MOPs dropped against two nuclear target areas. All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6.40 pm and 7.05 pm Eastern Time.

This was the first time the GBU-57 MOP was used in combat, a heavy bunker-buster bomb that could be fitted only on the B-2 bomber.