Iran has launched missiles at a US military base in Qatar, in what it said was retaliation for American strikes against its nuclear sites over the weekend.
Witnesses have reported hearing loud bangs in the sky above the capital, Doha, while videos show bright flashes in the sky as air defence systems attempt to intercept missiles.
It is the latest escalation in a conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US which has seen tensions in the Middle East soar to unprecedented levels in recent days.
The attack was first confirmed by Iranian state media, and later by the military.
A statement from the IRGC, the most powerful branch of the Iranian military, said that “Iran will not leave any attack on its sovereignty unanswered”, and added: “US bases in the region are not strengths but vulnerabilities.”
The US had previously warned Iran not to respond to its strikes on nuclear facilities and urged leaders in Tehran to agree to a diplomatic end to hostilities in the region.
There were indications on Monday that the US suspected Iran was preparing to launch missiles into Qatar.
Hours before the attack, Qatar said it was temporarily closing its airspace.
That came shortly after the US and UK told their nationals in the country to take shelter until further notice.
Those warnings did not give a clear indication an attack was imminent: the US said it issued the order “out of an abundance of caution”, while the UK said it was following the lead of the Americans.
Overnight on Saturday, the US launched massive strikes against three nuclear facilities inside Iran.
That came after days of uncertainty over whether the US would join Israel’s military action against Iran, which started on 13 June.
Israel has been launching daily missile strikes against nuclear and military facilities inside Iran, which its government says are necessary to prevent Iran from imminently building a nuclear weapon.