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Axios, citing an Israeli official, reported on Monday that Iran had launched six missiles toward US bases in Qatar, following an earlier report that Tehran was preparing to do so.
Meanwhile, several explosions were heard over the Qatari capital, Doha, a Reuters witness said, following Tehran’s threats to retaliate against US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
The United Arab Emirates is closely monitoring ongoing regional developments and continuously assessing the situation, a government spokesperson said on Monday.
The statement was issued in response to a Reuters inquiry about whether the UAE planned to close its airspace, following Qatar’s decision to do so amid the escalating regional crisis.
The United States embassy in Qatar advised American citizens to “shelter in place”, following Tehran’s threats to retaliate for US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Several other Western embassies echoed the warning.
Qatar, a gas-rich Gulf nation located about 190 kilometres (120 miles) south of Iran, hosts the US military’s largest base in the region — Al Udeid Air Base.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice,” the US embassy stated on its website.
Britain and Canada later cited the US alert in their own advisories to nationals.
Iran’s armed forces warned on Monday of “serious, unpredictable consequences” for the United States in response to the airstrikes on three nuclear sites.
In neighbouring Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, the American embassy said it had “temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework.” Bahraini authorities had earlier directed most government workers to work from home, citing “regional circumstances.”
Responding to the embassy warnings, Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said that such advisories “do not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats.”
“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the state remains stable,” he wrote on X. “Qatar continues to exert intensive diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.”
Separately, on Sunday, the US State Department advised Americans worldwide to “exercise increased caution” due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Following Israel’s initial strikes on Iran on June 13, the US embassy in Qatar had already urged staff and American citizens to “exercise increased caution” and limit non-essential travel to Al Udeid Air Base.
This story is being updated.
