State plane Wing of Zion leaves Israeli airspace, but officials insist it’s on training mission US opens new air defense operations cell at Qatar base that Iran targeted in retaliatory attackAl Udeid Air BasLe in Qatar was previously targeted by Iranian missiles in retaliatory attack last June The U.S. military and its regional partners opened a new air defense operations cell in Qatar to “enhance integrated air and missile defense,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday, as tensions are escalating in Iran.
The cell was opened at Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha – the same base that Iran targeted in a retaliatory attack last June following U.S. strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
The base is home to 10,000 American forces and is the U.S.’s largest military installation in the Middle East. Located southwest of Doha, it serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. This is a significant step forward in strengthening regional defense cooperation,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement on Tuesday. “This cell will improve how regional forces coordinate and share air and missile defense responsibilities across the Middle East.”
