"Stay indoors": Netherlands issues warning to citizens in Qatar amid Iran attack

Dutch citizens and residents in Qatar were warned they should remain indoors for the time being as a series of explosions were heard above the country's capital of Doha on Monday at about 6:35 p.m. Iran took credit for retaliatory attacks on American military bases located in Iraq and Qatar, state news agency Tasnim reported minutes later.

Qatar said there were no casualties due to the Iranian retaliatory attack. The country condemned the attack as a violation of its sovereignty and threatened to respond itself.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard of Iran confirmed it launched missiles targeting the al-Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha, the headquarters for U.S. Central Command. The location is the largest American base in the region, according to Al-Jazeera. The missiles set off the airbase's defense systems, with flares seen flying into the sky. Reuters also reported that air defenses were activated at the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an urgent appeal about 20 minutes before the explosions were reported by international news outlets. "The Qatari authorities have just temporarily closed the airspace above Qatar, due to a possible threat," the Embassy of the Netherlands in Doha wrote.

"Stay indoors as much as possible." The embassy also advised people to avoid crowded areas, pay close attention to developing news, be "extra vigilant, and to follow advice and instructions from local authorities.

The U.S. launched an attack on Sunday striking facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan where the U.S. said Iran was trying to develop its nuclear program. President Donald Trump then warned Iran not to retaliate against those attacks, writing in capital letters on social media that any retaliation would be met with a response. Israel also launched an attack on Iran last week.

Qatar claimed the missiles were intercepted. Three Iranian sources told The New York Times that Iran consulted with Qatar and had warned the country in advance of a possible attack to limit the number of casualties.

The sources said that Iran had to retaliate at least symbolically for the U.S. bombing of Iranian targets. This was done deliberately in a way that would give all parties the opportunity to prevent the situation from escalating further.

A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it did not know how many Dutch citizens were present in Qatar when the Iranian attack was launched. Only those Dutch people who informed the ministry of their location are known to be in the country, but this is not mandatory and many people do not notify the government.

Other Western countries also issued security warnings to their citizens in Qatar.