In a bid to protect lives and property in Qatar, the country’s government has closed its airspace following the attack launched by the Iranian government on the United States (US) military base, al-Udeid Air Base, in Doha, Qatar’s capital.
It stated that the closure of its airspace was to ensure the safety of residents and visitors inside the Qatari territory after the Iranian government vowed to retaliate the attack carried out on its facilities by the US government.
The closure came after the US and UK embassies in Qatar urged its citizens to “exercise increased caution,” after the US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday. Iran has threatened to retaliate.
In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the closure of its airspace was to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.
In a separate statement in response to the embassy notice, the foreign ministry said the warning did “not necessarily reflect the existence of specific threats”.
“The security situation in the country is stable,” the statement said, adding that “the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors”.
Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. About 8,000 US citizens live there, according to the State Department.
It is also home to US CENTCOM’s headquarters for all its air operations in the Middle East, where British military personnel also serve on rotation.
The US has about 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East. Flight tracking websites show planes diverting to other airports following the closure of Qatari airspace. According to Flightradar24, there are 100 flights bound for Doha.
Hamad International Airport is one of the world’s top 10 busiest airports on international traffic with around 140,000 passengers passing through per day.
Advice for British nationals in Qatar may be updated “over the course of the next few days”, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.
He told Parliament: “This is an ongoing and fast-moving situation.” He added that the government would keep advice “under close review and there may need to be further updates over the course of the next few days”.
The message from the US Embassy was followed by warnings from other groups in Qatar, including several universities that asked students to go home.
Bilateral relations between the US and Qatar are “strong”, according to the State Department, which says Qatar has helped play a financial, political and military role in dealing with turmoil in the region.
