Iranian missile strike severely damages US air operations center in Qatar

During the first weeks of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, an Iranian missile strike rendered inoperable the US command center that ran America's campaigns in the Middle East for over two decades, according to a report by Air and Space Forces Magazine.

Citing an unnamed senior US official and other informed sources, the magazine stated that the Combined Air Operations Center at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was "severely damaged" and "took a direct hit" by "multiple Iranian missiles" during the early weeks of the US-Israeli war against Iran.

The command center was not in use during the Iranian bombing, and no casualties were reported. Its personnel had been evacuated to Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina beforehand, and the US military directed its campaign against Iran from there.

The command center had been actively used by the Pentagon during its military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. According to Air and Space Forces Magazine, proximity to Iran and overall vulnerability of the facility have raised questions about whether it should be rebuilt.

The report by Air and Space Forces Magazine added that the strike significantly impacted US air operations in the region, though the evacuation prevented loss of life.