Some U.S. personnel are evacuating Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, America’s main military base in the Middle East, as President Donald Trump is weighing military action against Iran in response to its crackdown on protestors, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The move is being characterized as a temporary and partial departure. Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran’s government if its security forces use violence against protesters. At least 2,500 people have been killed so far, according to the nongovernment group Human Rights Activists News Agency, but some reports put the death toll as high as 20,000.
The protests, which began last month over economic issues, have spread across the country in what appear to be the biggest demonstrations against the theocratic government of Iran since it came to power in the Iranian Revolution in 1979. On Jan. 13, Trump warned of “very strong action” if the regime executes protesters.
“If they hang them, you’re going to see some things,” Trump told CBS Nightly News. “We will take very strong action if they do such a thing.”
If Trump does order military action, Al Udeid could be targeted for retaliation—Iran attacked the base in June after Operation Midnight Hammer with a salvo of a dozen short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles, following U.S. military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear sites the previous day.
Patriot systems protecting the base shot down most of the missiles, but one impacted the base, causing damage to a radome, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported at the time. Al Udeid had been largely emptied of both people and planes in anticipation of the attack over the summer.
Iranian missiles, either fired directly from Iran or its proxy forces, have been a persistent concern for U.S. forces over the years, and Qatar is located directly across the Persian Gulf from Iran.
The Jan. 14 evacuation of Al Udeid was first reported by Reuters.
Qatar’s government confirmed in a statement that some personnel were being relocated from the base.
“Qatar states that such measures are being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions,” Qatar’s International Media Office stated. “Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority, including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities.”
The sprawling air base is a joint U.S.-Qatari facility that is not only the largest and most important U.S. base in the Middle East, but also the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Air Forces Central. It is home to CENCTOM’s Combined Air Operations Center, the command center for airpower in the region.
Iranian officials have again threatened U.S. bases in the Middle East should the U.S. intervene in the current unrest. Iran’s government has blacked out most internet connections and outside phone lines for days, largely cutting off information from the country to the outside. Eyewitnesses who have made contact with journalists have described scenes of bodies piling up on streets and in hospitals.
The evacuation comes just two days after CENTCOM and its regional partners opened an air defense coordination cell at the CAOC, which U.S. military officials touted as a significant step towards strengthening regional air and missile defense.
A CENTCOM spokesperson declined to comment. The Pentagon’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. State Department has not issued any warning advising U.S. citizens to avoid traveling to Qatar or to significantly alter their activities. During June’s Iranian salvo, explosions were visible from Doha, the capital, which is a roughly 45-minute drive from the base, and the embassy issued a shelter-in-place warning during the attack.
