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Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Satellite images shows Iran hit US comms dome at Qatar military base
Listen to article New satellite images show Iran's missile strike on a US military base in Qatar in June destroyed a dome used for secure communications, a key structure at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts US Central Command's forward headquarters. An international press analysed satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC showing the dome intact on the morning of June 23, the day of the strike, and then missing in images taken two days later. Scorch marks and minor damage are visible nearby, but the rest of the base appears largely untouched. ❗️🇮🇷⚔️🇺🇲🇶🇦 - The Pentagon confirmed that one Iranian short/medium-range ballistic missile struck Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar during Iran's June 23 retaliatory attack, following U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. Pentagon Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell told Air & Space… — 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) July 11, 2025 Hours after the report, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the strike hit the dome, describing the overall damage as 'minimal' and stressing that Al Udeid remains 'fully operational and capable' of supporting US and Qatari defence operations. The Iranian missile attack was carried out in retaliation for a US bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran. The strike came amid a 12-day Iran-Israel war and preceded a ceasefire deal brokered by then-US President Donald Trump. He later stated that Iran had signalled the timing and scope of its response in advance, allowing US and Qatari forces to prepare. No casualties were reported, and aircraft had been evacuated from the base before the strike. Read More: Trump pressures Iran, Israel into ceasefire While Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard described the attack as 'destructive and powerful,' US officials downplayed its impact. An adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader claimed the strike severed communications at the base, though the Pentagon has not confirmed such disruption. The dome, a radome protecting a satellite terminal, was part of a $15 million communications system installed by the US Air Force in 2016. Its destruction marks one of the few confirmed damages in the exchange. Qatar has not issued a public comment on the incident.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pentagon confirms Iranian missile struck Qatar air base in Tehran's attack
The Pentagon on Friday acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile hit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June during an Iranian attack after President Donald Trump downplayed the assault. The statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell follows The Associated Press publishing satellite images Friday showing damage from the attack. Parnell said the strike did minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base. He added: Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The US Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, announced in 2016 the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known as a radome. Images taken June 25 and every day subsequently show the dome is gone, with some damage visible on a nearby building. The rest of the base appears largely untouched in the images.


The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Pentagon acknowledges Iranian ballistic missile hit Qatar air base during Iran's attack
The Pentagon on Friday (July 11, 2025) acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile hit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June during an Iranian attack after President Donald Trump downplayed the assault. The statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell follows The Associated Press publishing satellite images on Friday (July 11, 2025) showing damage from the attack. Mr. Parnell said the strike 'did minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base.' He added: 'Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region.' Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The U.S. Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, announced in 2016 the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known as a radome. Images taken June 25 and every day subsequently show the dome is gone, with some damage visible on a nearby building. The rest of the base appears largely untouched in the images.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Iran's attack on Qatar air base hit geodesic dome used for US communications, satellite photos show
An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar that's key to the US military hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analyzed on Friday, July 11 show. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile had hit the dome. Qatar did not respond to requests for comment about the damage. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran − and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage − likely because the US evacuated its aircraft from the base, which is home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command, before the attack. Trump also has said that Iran signaled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air defense to be ready for the attack, which briefly disrupted air travel in the Middle East, but otherwise didn't tip over into the regional war long feared by analysts. Images show burn marks, dome gone after attack Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The US Air Force's 379 th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, announced in 2016 the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known as a radome. Images taken June 25 and every day subsequently show the dome is gone, with some damage visible on a nearby building. The rest of the base appears largely untouched in the images. In a statement, Parnell said the missile strike "did minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base. Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region." The London-based satellite news channel Iran International first reported on the damage, citing satellite photos taken by a different provider. Trump downplayed attack while Iran boasted about it In the US, Trump described the Iranian attack as a "very weak response." He had said that Tehran fired 14 missiles, with 13 intercepted and one being "set free" as it was going in a "nonthreatening" direction. "I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," he wrote on Truth Social. The White House had no immediate comment after Parnell's acknowledgment Friday. Trump visited Al Udeid Air Base on May 15 as part of his Mideast tour . After the attack, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insisted that the air base had been the "target of a destructive and powerful missile attack." Iran's Supreme National Security Council also said that the base had been "smashed," without offering any specific damage assessments. Potentially signaling that he knew the dome had been hit, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei separately said that the base's communications had been disconnected by the attack. "All equipment of the base was completely destroyed and now the US command stream and connection from Al Udeid base to its other military bases have been completely cut," said Ahmad Alamolhoda, a hard-line cleric.


Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump lied and didn't want Americans to know - Iran hit top-secret US communications dome at Qatar airbase
After Iran launched a missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a critical hub for US military operations in the Middle East, the Trump administration downplayed the attack as 'very weak' and 'nonthreatening,' but a newly analysed satellite imagery revealed a very different story, as per a report. What Did the Satellite Images Show? The satellite images analysed on Friday by The Associated Press reveal that Iran's strike hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, according to the report. Satellite images provided by Planet Labs PBC showed the dome before and after the attack, as per the AP report. The dome housed a "modernized enterprise terminal," this equipment is used for secure communications, which the US Air Force installed it in 2016 for $15 million, according to the report. However, after the Iranian attack, the dome was gone, and there were burn marks and damage to a nearby building, as reported by AP. ALSO READ: Trump's 35% tariff on Canada: Here's what will get more expensive for Americans — and what won't What Happened at Al Udeid Air Base? Iran's strike on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 was in response to the United States' bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran amid the Middle East conflict , which then quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by US president Donald Trump, ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war, as reported by AP. Why Was Damage Limited? While the attack could only cause little damage, as the US had evacuated its aircraft from the base, which is home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command, before the attack happened, according to the report. Live Events ALSO READ: Delta Airlines' shocking AI upgrade: It could soon set ticket prices based on what you can afford How Did Donald Trump React? Trump had even said at that time that Iran had already indicated when and how it would retaliate, which allowed American and Qatari air defense to be prepared for the attack, as per the AP report. The US president has claimed that the Iranian attack was a 'very weak response,' and had said that Tehran fired 14 missiles, with 13 intercepted and one being 'set free' as it was going in a 'nonthreatening' direction, as quoted in the report. He even wrote on his social media site, saying, 'I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," as quoted by AP. What Did Iran Claim? However, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard had emphasised that the air base had been the 'target of a destructive and powerful missile attack,' and even Iran's Supreme National Security Council said that the base had been 'smashed,' but had not provided any specific damage assessments, according to the report. Ahmad Alamolhoda, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had said at that time, 'All equipment of the base was completely destroyed and now the U.S. command stream and connection from Al Udeid base to its other military bases have been completely cut,' as quoted by AP. FAQs What was inside the dome Iran hit? It housed a secure US communications system called a "modernized enterprise terminal," installed in 2016 and worth $15 million, as per the AP report. Did the US admit that the dome was hit? No. As of now, the US military and Qatar haven't made any public comments about the damage.