An Iranian missile strike on Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base — a key hub for the US military — damaged a dome housing sensitive communications equipment, The Associated Press reported on Saturday, citing an analysis of satellite photos reviewed by the news agency. The geodesic dome, the report said, covered a satellite dish linked to secure American military communications.
Satellite Images Confirm Direct Hit on US Radome
According to the report, Planet Labs PBC captured images showing the dome intact on the morning of June 23, just hours before the strike. By June 25, and in every photo since, the dome appears to have been downed. Damage to a nearby building is also visible, while the rest of the base appears largely intact, the report said.
Pentagon Confirms Strike, Downplays Damage
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell later confirmed that an Iranian ballistic missile hit the dome, telling the US-based publication, “The missile strike did minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base.”
Stressing that the Al Udeid Air Base “remains fully operational”, Parnell asserted that the facility is still “capable of conducting its mission”, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region.
Qatar had not commented on the development at the time of writing this report.
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Attack on Qatae Base Follows US Bombing of Iranian Nuclear Sites
Iran had launched the attack last month in retaliation for US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. The strikes, which came during the 12-day Iran-Israel conflict, preceded a US-brokered ceasefire.
President Donald Trump, who helped negotiate the ceasefire between arch rivals Israel and Iran, had earlier suggested Tehran had signalled the timing and direction of the strike. He, however, eventually called the strike a “very weak response.”
Iran Claims Bigger Impact
Iran, for its part, has claimed a major victory, with Ahmad Alamolhoda, a cleric close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying “all equipment of the base was completely destroyed” and that “the US command stream has been completely cut”, as reported by the AP.
Iran International, a satellite news outlet, first reported the dome’’s destruction, citing other satellite providers.
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