00:00...were heard over Qatar and in the capital, Doha, and according to Axios, they're saying
00:09that they're citing Israeli officials that Iran launched six missiles towards U.S. bases
00:16in Qatar, and then according to Reuters' witness, further explosions heard over Doha.
00:22I'm also being told that sirens are going off in Bahrain.
00:25This entire region has been on edge and on high alert, and concerns are growing that
00:32this could spread and escalate across the region.
00:35Earlier today, Qatar closed its airspace, and we now understand that six missiles were launched
00:42against U.S. bases in Qatar, and that explosions have been heard over the capital, Doha.
00:50Let's bring in our Mark Stone, who joins us live from Washington.
00:54Mark, a lot of developing news in the last few minutes.
00:58We heard earlier Qatar closing its airspace.
01:01Before that, the U.S. embassy in Qatar telling American citizens to take shelter, to stay
01:07indoors.
01:08The British officials said the same thing.
01:11Then, like I said, the Qatari airspace was closed.
01:15I heard from some Israeli officials here that there was some kind of understanding between
01:20the Iranians and U.S. officials to draw a line in the sand and to launch these attacks on
01:26these bases in Qatar.
01:28I just put that to the former commander of CENTCOM, who denied that that kind of back-channel
01:34conversation would be had.
01:36But in this environment, it feels like anything is currently possible.
01:40Yeah, but it's worth pointing out that the Americans are still claiming that Steve Witkoff, Donald
01:48Trump's Middle East envoy, is indirectly still talking to the Iranians.
01:53So there is a channel of communication there that is still open.
01:58It's also important to note that in 20 minutes' time or 15 minutes' time, Donald Trump was due
02:03to be back in the Situation Room for an update.
02:06That will now clearly include the developments over the last 10 minutes, which suggests certainly
02:12that Iran has launched some sort of missile strike against Qatar, against American assets
02:19in Qatar, and also reports of similar strikes perhaps against American bases in Iraq as well.
02:27We will get confirmation of that, I'm sure.
02:29But Qatar is the focus at the moment and is very, very close to Iran.
02:33You just look at a map, it's just across the water.
02:37And in Qatar, a very small country, there is a very, very large American airbase.
02:42It's called Al-Udayd.
02:43It is where Donald Trump was just a month ago as part of his Middle East trip.
02:47He went to the base to visit troops there.
02:50And he gave what...
02:50I was there with him, and he gave what felt like an American-style political rally.
02:57Thousands of troops in one of the many, many hangars there.
03:00We walked through the hangars.
03:01We could see the aircraft, the helicopters, all American.
03:05What's important to note is that there are not just American troops there.
03:08There are Qatari troops.
03:09There are troops from many other countries.
03:12The Brits have been based there over the course of the years as well.
03:16So you can see how this could become very dangerous indeed and draw other countries in.
03:21We'll await to see what details emerge about these strikes.
03:26It's also important to note that the Americans would have put in place as many precautions as they can.
03:33They would have known that the Iranians would try and strike back.
03:36And so there will be anti-missile technology similar to the stuff you've been seeing in Israel.
03:41The same is in place in Qatar to try and shoot these incoming missiles out of the sky.
03:47But tense times indeed.
03:49I think the question, unanswered, Yalda, at the moment, is whether or not...
03:54I mean, I think it is totally expected that Iran would have to respond to what happened on Saturday night in some way.
04:00But are they going to respond in a calculated way that allows them to be seen to respond,
04:05but does not prompt the Americans to ratchet up the tension and respond in kind again?
04:12After the assassination of Qasem Soleimani in 2020, that was done by Donald Trump as well.
04:18That was a moment where we were in precisely the same situation.
04:22Everyone wondered, how will Iran respond to this audacious assassination against its top general?
04:28The answer was they went for a token response.
04:31They fired missiles at the Al-Assad air base in Iraq.
04:35They injured American troops.
04:37They didn't kill any.
04:38And that was the way that this whole thing then was able to de-escalate.
04:42Let's see what happens this time.
04:45Yeah, I've just got a few more lines because our sources at Sky are telling us, with knowledge of the situation,
04:52they're confirming that Iranian missiles have targeted Al-Udeid air base in Qatar.
04:57And I'm getting more confirmation from the Qataris on that at the moment.
05:03But what we also understand from Reuters is that maximum alert status was declared.
05:09Orders were issued to take shelter in bunkers at an Al-Assad air base in Iraq as well.
05:16So as we've been reporting, the Qatari, the air base, Al-Udeid air base in Qatar has been targeted,
05:24but also maximum alert status declared and orders issued to take shelter in bunkers at the air base in Iraq as well.
05:33Mark, I'm just going to bring you back in because this does seem to be the coordinated response from the Iranians.
05:41The question is how well prepared and alert were the Americans to this and their air defences swinging into action?
05:50I just spoke to the former head of CENTCOM who said that they would, you know,
05:55the scenario he posed to me was that they would be on high alert and the interceptors would be doing their work.
06:02But as from what we understand, six missiles were launched at Al-Udeid.
06:08We'll have to wait and see what the impact of that has been or whether the interceptors did the work that they needed to do.
06:14And as you say, the one thing that Donald Trump doesn't want to see is body bags returning.
06:19And perhaps this might draw a line in the sand, but we'll have to wait and see how this evolves.
06:27Precisely that. This is the moment of high, high jeopardy.
06:30If any one of those missiles has hit the air base and has caused Americans to be killed,
06:36well, then, you know, it changes everything.
06:40Donald Trump would be forced to respond, would want to respond to that.
06:46And that would be how this escalates.
06:49If, on the other hand, either the interceptors have been successful
06:52and the rockets, missiles have not landed, have not caused damage,
06:57or if the Iranians have fired them in such a way that they look like they're responding,
07:04but actually it does not involve any casualties,
07:07then that's how perhaps all of this de-escalates.
07:12But as you've been saying, two air bases now struck.
07:15Both of them are large.
07:16One is in Iran.
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