China has issued an urgent advisory instructing its citizens to avoid all travel near the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and to leave the area immediately.
BBC News is now reporting a “credible threat” against the U.S.-led Coalition Air Operations Centre (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, with intelligence suggesting the threat may involve a potential missile strike by Iran.
According to U.S. officials speaking to Axios, the Trump administration is actively preparing for a potential Iranian strike on American military bases near the Persian Gulf in retaliation for the recent U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The scale of Iran’s response — especially the number of American casualties — will heavily influence President Trump’s next steps and could determine whether the U.S. becomes further drawn into Israel’s ongoing conflict with Iran.
Satellite imagery of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—one of the U.S. Air Force’s most strategic installations in the Middle East—now shows the base completely deserted. Normally home to dozens of military aircraft, including aerial refueling tankers, surveillance planes, and cargo/transport aircraft operated by both U.S. and British forces, the base appears to be empty, with no aircraft visible on the ground.
The evacuation of these assets, likely to other bases in the Middle East or Europe, comes amid growing concerns over a possible Iranian strike. Dozens of aircraft had already been withdrawn from Al Udeid last week as a precaution.
Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah positions and rocket launchers north of the Litani River, in violation of Israel-Lebanon agreements. The operations are set to continue as part of efforts to eliminate ongoing threats.
Qatar’s decision to close its airspace was not made lightly. More than a dozen incoming flights have been forced to divert, and dozens of others remain grounded at Hamad International Airport in Doha.
According to Reuters, the UK government has issued a shelter-in-place advisory for British citizens in Qatar, mirroring an earlier warning from the U.S. Embassy advising American nationals to do the same.
