Donald Trump said the two sides reached a ceasefire shortly after Iran attacked a US airbase in Qatar.
US President Donald Trump on Monday announced that Israel and Iran have reached a ceasefire, hours after Iran launched a missile attack on the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar – the largest United States military base in the Middle East.
“The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has agreed to the truce proposal, and Iranian state TV reported that the ceasefire had begun.
However, Israel has ordered strikes on Tehran after accusing Iran of violating the truce – an allegation rejected by Iran.
Here is what happened in Qatar, what Trump has said, and the latest on the ground.
Did Iran attack the US base in Qatar?
Yes.
On Monday evening, consecutive flares were seen and loud explosions were heard in Qatar’s capital, Doha, alongside other parts of the country.
In a statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its attack was in response to the “blatant military aggression” by the US on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Tehran said it attacked the Al Udeid airbase because it “serves as the command centre of the US Air Force and is the largest strategic asset of the American terrorist army in West Asia”.
Qatar said it had successfully shot down 18 of 19 missiles deployed. No casualties were reported.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Tuesday reiterated Qatar’s condemnation of Iran’s missile attack on the Al Udeid airbase, calling it an “unacceptable act”.
“The attack on the state of Qatar is an unacceptable act, especially as Qatar has been making great diplomatic efforts in order to de-escalate the situation,” said Sheikh Mohammed, adding Doha was “taken by surprise” by the move from what it considers a “neighbourly” country.
Earlier, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest against Monday night’s attack.
But Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson defended the attack, saying it was a legitimate response under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The attack was retaliation for the “unprovoked aggression against Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty” by the US on Sunday when it hit three of Iran’s nuclear sites, Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X.
Iran has stressed that Monday’s attack was not directed at the “brotherly” state of Qatar.