CNN
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Qatar officials met with the country’s prime minister on Monday afternoon when Defense Ministry officials called for warning of Iran’s missiles, finding ways to eliminate the conflict between Iran and Israel.
The first attack on the Gulf surprised them, according to Al Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
That morning, anxiety was grabbing the Arab Gulf. The gorgeous, oil-rich capital was terrified of the worst-case scenario. After a 12-day war between Iran and Iran, Iran’s missile strikes shattered the image of stability and culminated in a series of US strikes over Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Bahrain, where the US Navy Command is located, told residents not to use the main roads and Kuwait, which host several US military bases. In nearby Dubai and Abu Dhabi, some residents booked early flights, while others kept supplies.
In Doha, nervous residents are very wary. The U.S. and British citizens in the country were told to seek shelter, and American servicemen had evacuated from Al Udeid Station in the United States.
Qatar’s most advanced early warning military radar system in the region showed that the intelligence collected had moved to Qatar earlier in the day, a spokesman said — but nothing was certain until just before the strike.
“It could have been misdirected to keep us away from actual targets. There were still many targets in the area. But in the end it was very clear, their missile system was hot and there was a very clear idea an hour before the attack.
Around 7pm local time, Qatari officials were notified by the military that Iranian missiles were in the air and were heading towards Al-Udeid Base, Al Ansari said.
According to Al-Ansari, Qatari’s military deployed 300 service members and activated multiple Qatar Patriot anti-electric missile batteries at two sites, and then activated at two sites. US President Donald Trump said 14 missiles had been fired from Iran.
Qatari forces coordinated closely with the US, but the operation was “led by Qatar,” Al Ansari told CNN.
Seven missiles were intercepted over the Persian Gulf before reaching Qatar’s soil, he said. Another 11 was intercepted through Doha without causing damage, and one person landed in an unsuppressed area of the base, causing minimal damage.
According to Trump, Iran had given the US early notice before the attack. Doha received Inter from Washington, but according to Al Ansari, he did not receive direct warnings from Iranians, but authorities were well aware that US bases in the region could be targeted.
“Iranians told us a few months ago… if there is an attack in the US on Iranian soil, they will create a base that hosts US troops with legal targets in the region,” Al Ansari said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragut said warnings were repeated to Gulf counterparts at an Istanbul meeting a day before the Iranian attack in Qatar.
Iran’s national security council said the strike after the intercepted attacks “has no dangerous aspect to Qatar and its noble nation of its friendly and brotherhood.”
Still, al Ansari rejects speculation that given Qatar’s working relationship with Tehran, he may have given the strike green light to create an off-ramp for regional escalation.
“We are not underestimating our country being attacked by missiles on any side. We will never do that as a political stance or part of the game in the region,” he said.
“We don’t put people in danger. I didn’t put my daughter under the missile coming out of the sky. This was a complete surprise for us,” Ansari said.
In the moment after the attack, Trump called out Qatar’s Emil Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, telling him that the Israelites are willing to agree to a ceasefire, and asked him to do the same for the Iranians, according to al-Ansari.
“As we were discussing how we could retaliate against this attack, this was when we received a call from the US that there was a possibility of a ceasefire and it paved the way for potential security in our region,” Ansari said.
Doha’s role as a mediator was quickly key in the aftermath of the strike. Qatar’s chief negotiator, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Klaifi, spoke to the Iranians, while Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, had spoken with US Vice President JD Vance. Soon, “We managed to secure a deal,” says Al Ansalis – and at Nick of Time.
“All options were on the table that night…we could quickly say that we were retaliated or pulled back and hadn’t spoken to the country that sent the 19 missiles.
Shortly afterwards, Trump declared on social media that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had been mediated.