Iran Launches Missiles at US Base in Qatar, Intercepted by Air Defences

All of a sudden, there were loud booms and the windows started shaking. Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar's capital, Doha, knew what he was supposed to do, but did the opposite. \"Which was rush outside and look up in the sky,\" he said. \"I saw these flying lights, and the night sky was not like anything I had seen before. Then there were massive noises, and again the windows shook.\"

Qatar was the target of Iranian missile strikes on Monday, local time, as Tehran retaliated against the US bombing three critical nuclear sites. Iran said it was aiming for Al Udeid, the largest US military air base in the Middle East. Al Udeid Air Base hosts the US Central Command headquarters and is home to more than 11,000 US and Coalition service members. It is spread across 24 hectares in the desert, just outside Qatar's capital. The base is close enough for Doha residents to witness the flashes in the sky, as the country's air defences intercepted the wave of ballistic missiles. \"I live about 30km (from the base) ... So, it's not that far,\" Professor Kamrava told ABC Radio National. \"It was unlike anything anyone here has ever experienced.\"

How the air defences worked

Iran's National Security Council said it targeted the base \"in response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran's nuclear sites and facilities\". In its statement, the council said 14 missiles were launched, \"the same as the number of bombs that the US had used\". A US defence official said no one was hurt in the attack. Iran gave advance notice to the US and Qatari authorities hours ahead of the strikes. Qatar, which lies 190km south of Iran, said its \"air defences successfully intercepted the missile attack\".

System made to 'hit to kill' ballistic missiles

Before Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, Iran was believed to have the largest and most diverse ballistic missile stockpile in the Middle East. Israel said the goal of its strikes on Iran was to dismantle the country's nuclear program and ballistic missile stockpile. Ballistic missiles travel at high speeds, soaring to high altitudes before taking a deep and fast dive. This trajectory — going beyond the atmosphere before plummeting down to Earth — can make the missiles particularly difficult to intercept.

Bases prepared for attacks

US bases in the region have been on high alert and taking precautions since the conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13. And after the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend, Tehran warned that American assets in the region were \"legitimate targets\". US officials told Reuters that aircraft not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid base. And naval vessels had been moved from a port in Bahrain, where the military's 5th fleet is located. Mr Robertson said the US had an integrated system of defence across the region. If Iran attempted further strikes on US bases, it would be put into action. \"It involves ships in the Persian Gulf. It involves airborne assets. It involves land-based radar,\" he said. \"So, they know where the threat is coming from, and roughly the direction.\"

According to the source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.