US base targeted by Iran, source tells Sky News

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US base targeted by Iran, source tells Sky News   Reuters news agency is reporting a series of explosions over Doha, the capital of Qatar.   Military sources have told Reuters news agency the air defence system was activated at the Ain al Asad airbase in Iraq.   Sky News' Yalda Hakim speaks to Mark Stone on what this could mean for the United States.   Sky News is the ultimate source of Top Stories, News Updates, Breaking news, Top headlines, Investigative reports, Human interest stories, Weather updates, Natural disaster coverage, Crime reports, Editorial opinions, Fact-checking articles, Global events, global news, global news, global news updates, latest news, latest updates, news updates, and world news updates.   Stay informed with the latest headlines and in-depth coverage from around the world — follow Global News Updates for real-time news you can trust. Don’t miss a story — hit follow now!   GLOBAL NEWS   #IranIsraelConflict #MiddleEastTensions #IranIsraelWar #BreakingNews #Geopolitics #MiddleEastCrisis #WarInIranIsrael #InternationalNews #MiddleEastConflict #GlobalSecurity #BreakingNewsUpdate #ConflictAnalysis #IranNews #IsraelNews #WarUpdates #MiddleEastPolitics #SecuritySituation #IranIsraelRelations #WarNews #RegionalTensions #global news #skynews

Transcript

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.

07:17Sorry, one is in Iraq to the south of Baghdad, the other in Qatar.

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