Qatar authorities temporarily suspended its air traffic across the country on Monday, citing the “safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors”.The ministry of foreign affairs stressed that they are closely and continuously “monitoring the situation” and coordinating with international partners.“The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region,” the foreign ministry said.Qatar lies 190 kilometres (120 miles) south of Iran and is home to Al Udeid, the United States’ largest military base in the region.The US embassy said on its website that “Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice.”Shortly after the airspace was closed, explosions were heard in Qatar, with Iran affirming that it had launched an attack on US forces at the Al Udeid air base. Iran had fired 6 missiles targeting the US air base in Qatar.In the past, Iran has issued threats against US forces stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, which houses the forward headquarters of the US Central Command. Located across the Persian Gulf from Iran, Qatar maintains diplomatic ties with Tehran and jointly shares a vast offshore natural gas field with it.Bahrain, a close neighbour of Qatar, said on X that it has “temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework”. It is the home to the US’s Fifth Fleet.
