Iran retaliated against the United States for its strikes on three nuclear sites, firing several missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar.
The development comes as the U.S. Embassy in Qatar issued a warning for Americans to “shelter in place until further notice.” Britain similarly warned its citizens in the area, saying, “Following a US security alert for US nationals in Qatar, out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice.”
Qatar announced earlier on Monday that it would suspend “air traffic in the country’s airspace, in order to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors” as a “temporary measure to ensure the safety during the current situation in the region.”
“The Qatari foreign minister is monitoring the situation closely and is coordinating the assessments with regional and international partners,” the statement read.
A separate statement from Qatar’s foreign affairs spokesperson said that the “security situation in the country is stable,” 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.”
At the time of reporting, there have been no indications of impact.
U.S. agencies have also warned that Iran may deploy sleeper cells in response to the strikes on nuclear facilities. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the “likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.”
This is a developing story.
