'Symbolically needed to strike back': Iran coordinated attacks on American air base with Qatar, claims report

After Iran launched an attack on the American air base in Qatar in what seemed to be a major escalation after US dropped bombs on Iran's three nuclear plants, a New York Times report said that Iran coordinated the attacks with Qatari officials and gave advanced notice that the attacks were coming to minimise casualties.

"The officials said Irn symbolically needed to strike back at the US but at the same time carry it out in a way that allowed all sides an exit ramp," the NYT report said. "They described it as a similar strategy to 2020 when Iran gave Iraq head up before firing ballistic missiles an American base in Iraq following the assassination of its top general," the report said.

White House official says they were anticipating retaliation

A senior White House official told CNN that the administration was anticipating retaliation. “We knew they’d retaliate. They had a similar response after Soleimani,” the official said, referring to Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian commander killed in a US airstrike in 2020.

The official said initial assessments were that the missiles fired by the Iranians on Monday didn’t hit their intended targets. Qatar’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted an Iranian missile attack on the US air base in the country.

Iran State TV reported that Iran began an operation against the US-run Al Udeid Air base in Qatar. A series of loud booms were heard in Doha, and some objects were seen falling to the earth.