Qatar says it shot down two Iranian bombers
A Russian Su-24 in Moscow. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Qatar’s Ministry of Defense announced Monday that its air force shot down two Iranian Su-24 bombers, signaling that the ongoing American war against Tehran may be expanding across the wider Middle East.
According to the ministry, Qatari defenses also intercepted seven Iranian missiles and five drones during the attacks.
Officials did not provide details about casualties, and Iran had not issued an immediate response to Qatar’s claims. The Iranian air force is believed to operate roughly 20 Soviet- and Russian-made Su-24 aircraft.
Qatar and several other Middle Eastern nations have faced repeated attacks from Iranian aircraft, missiles, and drones since the joint U.S.–Israel military campaign began early Saturday morning.
Earlier Monday, the state-run company QatarEnergy announced it would halt its production of liquefied natural gas because of the conflict. The company did not provide a timeline for when operations might resume. The announcement quickly affected global energy markets, sending European natural gas prices up by about 40 percent.
In separate incidents, officials in Doha reported that Iran launched two additional drone strikes. One targeted a water tank at a power plant in Mesaieed in southern Qatar, while another aimed at an energy facility operated by QatarEnergy in the industrial city of Ras Laffan.
Shortly after the U.S.–Israel strikes on Tehran began Saturday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iran’s ambassador and issued a statement condemning what it described as “reckless and irresponsible” attacks on Qatari territory.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in an interview with Al Jazeera the same day that Tehran was “defending national sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Iran against these barbaric acts of aggression” by Washington and Israel.
On Sunday, the United States joined Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in releasing a joint statement denouncing Iran’s attacks as “unjustified.” The countries warned that the strikes represented “a dangerous escalation that violates the sovereignty of multiple states and threatens regional stability.”
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