Iran strikes damaged key US military terminal in Qatar? Satellite images surface

Satellite images by Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome on the morning of June 23, hours before the attack.

Iran's attack on an air base in Qatar on June 23 may have hit a geodesic dome used by the United States for military communications, satellite images accessed by the Associated Press news agency show.

Satellite images by Planet Labs PBC (left) on June 25 show that the dome (right) is gone, with damage to the nearby building.(AP/ via US Air Force)

The dome at Al Udeid Air Base, which is key to the US military, had equipment which was used by the US air force for secure communications.

Satellite images by Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome on the morning of June 23, hours before the attack. However, images taken on June 25 show that the dome is gone, with visible damage to a nearby building.

Satellite image from Planet Labs PBC showing Al Udeid Air Base before the attack. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC showing the Al Udeid Air Base after the attack on June 25, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

 

The air base is located on the outskirts of Qatar's capital Doha. Both the US and Qatar have not officially acknowledged or commented on the damage caused by the strikes.

The US had installed the USD 15 million piece of equipment, also called the modern enterprise terminal, in 2016.

However, the strikes have not led to any significant damage, with the US moving its aircraft from the air base to the forward headquarters of its military's Central Command ahead of the attack, AP reported.

The strike came as a response to US attacks on Tehran's three nuclear sites – Natanz, Ishafan and Fordow – following which a ceasefire understanding between Israel and Iran was reached, brokered by President Donald Trump.

‘Very weak response’: Trump signalled US was aware of Iran's plans to strike

After the Iranian strike on the Qatar air base, Trump called it a “very weak response”, while also suggesting that the US was aware of the attack beforehand.

“I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump had also alleged that 13 of the 14 missiles fired by Iran were intercepted while one was “set free” because it was headed in a “nonthreatening” direction.

However, Iran called the attack on the air base “destructive and powerful”. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's adviser also alleged that the base's communications had been disconnected due to the attack.