Satellite photos suggest Iran attack on Qatar air base hit geodesic dome used for US communications

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian onslaught connected an aerial basal successful Qatar that's cardinal to the U.S. subject apt deed a geodesic dome lodging instrumentality utilized by the Americans for unafraid communications, outer images analyzed Friday by The Associated Press show.

The U.S. subject and Qatar didn't respond to requests for remark implicit the damage, which truthful acold hasn't been publically acknowledged.

The Iranian onslaught connected Al Udeid Air Base extracurricular of Doha, Qatar's capital, connected June 23 came arsenic a effect to the American bombing of 3 atomic sites successful Iran — and provided the Islamic Republic a mode to retaliate that rapidly led to a ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war.

The Iranian onslaught different did small harm — apt due to the fact that of the information that the U.S. evacuated its craft from the base, which is location to the guardant office of the U.S. military's Central Command, earlier the attack.

Trump besides has said that Iran signaled erstwhile and however it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari aerial defence to beryllium acceptable for the attack, which concisely disrupted aerial question successful the Middle East, but different didn't extremity implicit into the determination warfare agelong feared by analysts.

Images amusement pain marks, dome gone aft attack

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC amusement the geodesic dome disposable astatine the Al Udeid Air Base connected the greeting of June 23, conscionable hours earlier the attack.

The U.S. Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates retired of the base, announced successful 2016 the installation of the $15 cardinal portion of equipment, known arsenic a modernized endeavor terminal. Photos amusement a outer crockery wrong of the dome, known arsenic a radome.

Images taken June 25 and each time subsequently amusement the dome is gone, with immoderate harm disposable connected a adjacent building. The remainder of the basal appears mostly untouched successful the images.

It's imaginable a fragment oregon thing other struck the dome, but fixed the demolition of the dome, it was apt an Iranian attack, perchance with a bomb-carrying drone fixed the constricted disposable harm to surrounding structures.

The London-based outer quality transmission Iran International archetypal reported connected the damage, citing outer photos taken by a antithetic provider.

Trump downplayed onslaught portion Iran boasted astir it

In the U.S., Trump described the Iranian onslaught arsenic a “very anemic response.” He had said that Tehran fired 14 missiles, with 13 intercepted and 1 being “set free” arsenic it was going successful a “nonthreatening” direction.

“I privation to convey Iran for giving america aboriginal notice, which made it imaginable for nary lives to beryllium lost, and cipher to beryllium injured," helium wrote connected his website Truth Social.

After the attack, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insisted that the aerial basal had been the “target of a destructive and almighty rocket attack.” Iran's Supreme National Security Council besides said that the basal had been “smashed,” without offering immoderate circumstantial harm assessments.

Potentially signaling that helium knew the dome had been hit, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei separately said that the base's communications had been disconnected by the attack.

“All instrumentality of the basal was wholly destroyed and present the U.S. bid watercourse and transportation from Al Udeid basal to its different subject bases person been wholly cut,” said Ahmad Alamolhoda, a hard-line cleric.

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Nasser Karimi contributed to this study from Tehran, Iran.