The United States has begun evacuating military personnel from Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, according to reports by major American media outlets CBS and NBC.
NBC reported, citing unnamed US officials, that the administration has initiated the evacuation of hundreds of troops from the strategically important air base, which hosts one of the largest US military contingents in the Middle East.
According to the same sources, President Donald Trump is reviewing potential military actions against Iran, prompting precautionary measures to relocate US forces away from possible retaliatory strikes.
“Troops are being moved out of harm’s way in case any US action triggers retaliation from Iran,” NBC reported, citing officials familiar with the situation.
The move comes against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions. In June last year, Iran launched attacks on Al-Udeid Air Base in response to US strikes on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. At that time, US forces were evacuated from the base shortly before the Iranian strikes.
Qatar is located directly across the Persian Gulf from Iran, making Al-Udeid Air Base a potential strategic target in the event of renewed hostilities.
Neither the US Department of Defense nor the Qatari authorities have issued an official statement confirming the scope or timeline of the reported evacuation.
