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US withdrawing troops from key Middle East bases amid threat from Iran
The development comes after Iran said it had had warned neighbors hosting American troops that it would hit US bases if Washington strikes.
The United States is withdrawing its troops from key bases in the Middle East as a precaution amid heightened regional tensions and threat from Iran, mutliple reports said on Wednesday.
A US official told Associated Press that several personnel from a key base in Qatar were advised to evacuate by Wednesday evening.
The development comes after Iran, in the face of threats by the US, said earlier on Wednesday that it had had warned neighbors hosting American troops that it would hit US bases if Washington strikes.
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An AFP report citing officials said that personnel deployed at Qatar's Al Udeid military base were told to depart. Qatar holds the largest American military base in the Middle East.
The move at the Al Udeid Air Base has been referred to as a precautionary measure by US officials. The official, however, didn't elaborate on the details about the move, including whether the evacuation was optional or mandatory.
Qatar react, US embassy's advisory in Saudi
Reacting to the development, Qatar said that such measures were being “undertaken in response to the current regional tensions.”
“The IMO reaffirms that the State of 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,” Qatar’s media office said in a post on X.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia told its personnel to act with caution and avoid military installations amid tensions with Iran.
"Given ongoing regional tensions, the US mission to Saudi Arabia has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region. We recommend American citizens in the Kingdom do the same," the embassy said in a statement on its website.
Earlier in the day, Iran warned its neighbours in the Middle East hosting US troops that it would hit American bases if Washington strikes. The warning comes after US President Donald Trump told the Iranian protestors to "keep protesting", asking them to take over their institutions. The remark adds to speculations of the US interventions in Iran as the country faces one of the worst unrest in recent history. The death toll in the protest has reached to over 3,400 following days of intense protests.
Meanwhile, a senior adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Trump that an Iranian strike in June on an American base in Qatar had demonstrated its ability to respond to any attack.
Trump should recall the attack on the Al Udeid air base, which proved "Iran's will and capability to respond to any attack", Ali Shamkhani wrote in a post on X.
