Qatar shut down its airspace on Monday as part of measures taken amid “developments in the region,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry stated on X.
Doha said the move was part of a “set of precautionary measures” meant to guarantee the safety of the country’s “citizens, residents and visitors.”
U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that the Pentagon was tracking a “credible” threat to American military bases in the region, with Iran reportedly moving missile launchers into place for a potential attack.
Another U.S. official told The New York Times earlier on Monday that Washington had detected some signs of Iranian-backed militias preparing to attack U.S. assets in Iraq and possibly Syria.
The U.S. military on Saturday struck three nuclear sites across Iran in what U.S. President Donald Trump said was an attempt to stop “the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror.”
Tehran’s three key nuclear enrichment facilities were “completely and totally obliterated,” Trump declared following the airstrikes.
In a security alert issued hours before Qatar shut down its airspace on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Qatar had called on American citizens in the Gulf state to shelter in place “until further notice.”
The alert was issued “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the U.S. State Department, which provided no additional information.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said that warnings were issued by “a number of embassies” on Monday. He continued that the recommendation to shelter in place does “not necessarily reflect the existence of specific or credible threats” in the country.
The alerts were issued against the background of “the general policies adopted by various countries regarding travel guidance & security updates for their citizens around the world,” Ansari stated.
“We would like to reassure the public that the security situation in the State remains stable,” he said. “The competent authorities are closely monitoring the situation and remain fully prepared to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of citizens, residents and visitors.”
On Sunday, the State Department ordered the evacuation of nonemergency government personnel and family members from Lebanon due to the regional security situation.
The notice urged U.S. citizens to “continue to exercise caution and encourage them to monitor the news for breaking developments.”