United States Withdraws Diplomatic Staff from Qatar Following Iranian Retaliatory Strike

The United States State Department has granted permission to non-emergency American government personnel and their family members to immediately depart Qatar. This decision follows retaliatory strikes launched by Iran against American military bases and personnel positions in the country.

The US Embassy in Qatar announced the measure on Sunday, 1 March local time, according to reports from the AFP, one day after Washington and its ally Israel conducted a major offensive against Iran.

“The State Department has authorised non-emergency US government employees and family members of government personnel to depart Qatar due to safety risks,” read a statement from the US Embassy in Qatar released on its official website.

In its announcement, the US Embassy also cautioned American citizens to “reconsider travel to Qatar due to threats of armed conflict”.

Qatar is one of the Middle Eastern nations hosting American military forces and became a target of Iran’s retaliatory operations.

On the first day of Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Saturday, 28 February, smoke billowed from American military bases in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Manama in Bahrain, where the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is located. The American base in Kuwait also came under attack from Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

Notably, the Al Udeid base in Qatar, which houses the largest American military installation in the region, was also targeted by Tehran’s retaliation.

Qatari officials reported that Iran had launched 65 missiles and 12 drones towards Qatari territory since the weekend. Doha claimed that most of Tehran’s missiles and drones were successfully intercepted.

However, according to Qatari officials, at least eight people sustained injuries, with one person in critical condition.

Meanwhile, American officials reported that at least three US soldiers were killed and several others seriously wounded by Iran’s retaliatory strikes targeting American bases across the Middle Eastern region. The casualty toll is expected to rise further.