U.S. Patriot Missiles Activated to Protect Key Forward Airbase From Iranian Strike

In the late hours of June 23 the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missile strikes on Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar. Footage has confirmed the large scale use of U.S. Army MIM-104 Patriot long range air defence systems to intercept the strike, with explosions filmed from the skies of Doha. The U.S. Central Command has claimed successful defence against the strike, which was launched using both short and medium range ballistic missiles, with President Donald Trump reporting that the attack was a “very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered.” Other reports indicated that at least three missiles hit the facility. The Iranian strike responded to the U.S. Air Force and Navy’s <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/seven-b2-27-hours-14-bombs-iran-details" target="_blank">strikes on the Natanz and Fordow</a> nuclear facilities on June 22, which brought the United States actively into the war that had been <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/israel-launches-major-strikes-iran-capital" target="_blank">initiated by Israel</a> on June 13. Satellite footage confirmed that Al Udeid Air Base had been evacuated more than a week before the United States launched its attack, with it and other facilities near Iran considered particularly vulnerable to missile and drone attacks.&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/24/article_6859eb7bf32293_30482786.png" title="U.S. Air Force F-35A Fighters at Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar">Commenting on the attack, the Revolutionary Guard Corps stated regarding Al Udeid: “This base is the headquarters of the Air Force and the largest strategic asset of the U.S. terrorist army in the West Asia region.” The facility gained greater importance for American operations in the region from early 2024 after the United Arab Emirates reportedly <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/deployment-qatar-ties-uae-rift" >placed greater restrictions</a> on air operations from its own facilities, namely Al Dhafra Airbase, which alongside Al Udeid is one of the leading hubs of operations. Iran has attacked American military facilities in the Middle East in the past, with a missile strike on January 8, 2020, having targeted facilities in Iraq in retaliation for the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-s-deadly-shadow-commander-general-qasem-soleimani-killed-in-u-s-attack-a-major-thorn-in-america-s-side-for-decades" >assassination</a> of Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani five days prior. The attack caused <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/number-of-american-casualties-from-iranian-missile-strike-rises-to-109-pentagon" >over 100 U.S. casualties</a>. Iranian drone and missile attacks have also <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/patriot-save-ukraine-combat-record" target="_blank">repeatedly proven </a>capable of evading Patriot air defence systems in the past, which was reportedly a primary factor in the Israeli decision to retire its own systems from service despite ongoing threats.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/06/24/article_6859ee86044052_66296798.JPG" title="Surface-to-Air Missile Battery From Patriot System at Al Udeid Airbase">With Al Udeid having been evacuated, the relatively small attack on the facility appears to have been largely symbolic, although even if the facility was not hit, which remains uncertain, the expenditure of large numbers of interceptors from Patriot systems will still impose very significant costs on the U.S. Army far exceeding the costs of the missiles launched. This is particularly significant due to the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/airdefence-shortage-forces-danger" target="_blank">major shortages </a>of Patriot supplies which the Russian-Ukrainian War has caused. Iran has focused the bulk of its retaliatory strikes on America’s close strategic partner Israel, for which many of the country’s <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-launches-first-strike-isreal-mach-13-fattah-hypersonic" target="_blank">most advanced missile classes</a> have been used with high rates of success. Qatar currently serves not only as a leading hub for American operations in the Middle East, but also as a key strategic partner for Western Bloc and Israeli interests. The country played a leading role alongside Turkey, Israel and the United States in<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2019-02-03/ty-article-opinion/.premium/israel-just-admitted-arming-anti-assad-syrian-rebels-big-mistake/0000017f-dbb0-db5a-a57f-dbfa71380000" target="_blank"> sponsoring an Islamist insurgency </a>against Iran’s close strategic partner Syria from 2011, culminating in Damascus’ defeat in December 2024, which was key to paving the way towards the current assault on Iran. The very considerable reach of Qatari media in the Arab and Islamic world has also played key roles in shifting public opinion against Iran, and previously against Syria, while the Qatari Armed Forces have emerged as key clients for U.S. and Israeli armaments in the region. Qatari forces exercise regularly with those from the United States, and in April 2025 conducted their <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/qatar-israel-first-joint-air-force-exercises" target="_blank">first exercises</a> with the Israeli Air Force.&nbsp;