Qatar confirms personnel departing from US air base over ‘regional tensions’
Doha: Qatar on Wednesday confirmed in a statement that some personnel are departing from the US Al Udeid Air Base in the country over “regional tensions.”
“With reference to circulating media reports regarding the departure of certain personnel from Al Udeid Air Base, the International Media Office (IMO) of the State of Qatar states that such measures are being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions,” the IMO said.
The IMO reaffirmed that Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority, including steps related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities.
Earlier, citing a Reuters report, Xinhua news agency reported that the United States is withdrawing some of its personnel from its military bases in the Middle East as a precaution amid heightened regional tensions.
The latest developments come as regional tensions show signs of escalation surrounding Iran’s protests, with US officials repeatedly threatening to intervene.
According to local media, Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has said that the country will respond forcefully to any attack and “defend the country with full force and until the last drop of blood.”
Some reports have highlighted that Iran has warned neighbouring countries hosting US forces that US military bases could be targetted if Washington intervenes in the ongoing protests.
On Tuesday, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani urged the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council to condemn the United States for inciting violence and threatening to use force against his country.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Somali UN Ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, who serves as the rotating President of the Security Council for January, Iravani accused US President Donald Trump of openly inciting violence in Iran, citing Trump’s post on social media platform Truth Social.
The US virtual embassy in Iran on Tuesday urged for US citizens to leave the country.
“This reckless statement explicitly encourages political destabilization, incites and invites violence, and threatens the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iravani said in the letter.
