From left: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari; Deputy Chief of Staff for Joint Operations H E Major General Shayeq Misfer Al Hajri; and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Colonel Dr. Jabr Hamoud Jabr Al Naimi
Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari has said that Qatar implemented all necessary precautionary measures, successfully thwarting the attack and safeguarding its people from any repercussions.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, he said: “We consider this attack surprising due to the Qatar’s stances, its keenness on good neighborliness, and its adoption of mediation to resolve crises. Qatar has been, still is, and will remain, committed to the option of peace and its achievement.”
Al Ansari said: “Striving to be a beacon of peace globally, Qatar will not be deterred or discouraged by any wrongful practices from any party, in the context of any escalation in the region, from being a driving force for peace in our region and in the entire world.”
Responding to Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi’s question, officials re-assure the nation on the current situation in Qatar. @Drkalshafi
— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) June 24, 2025
Read more here: https://t.co/sBQV0Yo949 pic.twitter.com/5SoFV1Uchl
He assured citizens and residents that the situation in Qatar is now normal. “Life is returning to normal at this very moment without any significant threat after this attack was repelled.”
“However, I would also like to confirm that, in line with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s commitment to the interests of students, exams will be postponed for one day only, so they will return to their normal schedule on Wednesday, as announced recently.”
Deputy Chief of Staff for Joint Operations H E Major General Shayeq Misfer Al Hajri, provided a briefing on the military information regarding the attack that was repelled yesterday.
Responding to Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi’s question “in light of the success of Qatari defenses in repelling the Iranian aggression on the Al Udeid Base, what reassuring messages do you have for people in the country?”
Al-Ansari replied: “We reassure citizens today that they can live their lives normally. There was a limited impact on air navigation, but businesses, schools, everything will be normal, as we said, with the exception of the exams issue. Other than that, I can assure everyone residing in Qatar, including citizens, residents, and visitors, that they can live their lives normally from this moment on.” Replying to the same question of Dr. Al-Shafi, Major General Al-Hajri said: “This is a message to every citizen and resident: our military capabilities are being tested today, and by the grace of Allah and the support of H H the Amir, and the persistence of our forces to this level, I reassure everyone again. The capabilities used were proportionate to this escalation, but our forces are greater than that, and our capabilities are greater than this. This is what I wanted to reassure you about.”
Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Colonel Dr. Jabr Hamoud Jabr Al Naimi said: “I would like to thank Dr. Khalid for this question. It’s a general question for everyone regarding directing messages, and perhaps the Ministry of Interior previously issued a statement urging both citizens and residents to obtain information from official sources.”
He added: “We rely on the community and on not taking information and spreading rumours. Today, we speak with complete transparency, and all our security agencies are ready and prepared.”
Editor-in-Chief of Al Raya Abdullah Talib Al-Marri asked: “The Qatari air defenses, while intercepting the Iranian missile attack, caused some shrapnel to fall in some civilian areas. What measures are being taken to protect citizens and residents from such shrapnel?”
Replying to the question, Colonel Al-Nuaimi said that the National Command Center (NCC) has received a number of reports of shrapnel falling on residential areas, and these were dealt with promptly in coordination with the Ministry of Defense and the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya).
Editor-in-Chief of Al-Arab newspaper Faleh Al-Hajri asked: “Regarding these missile attacks: there were neighbouring sister countries where warning sounds or sirens were heard. Is there coordination or cooperation between the Gulf countries regarding these missile attacks from Iran?”
Major General Al-Hajri replied that the Ministry of Defense’s preparations to deal with the repercussions of this crisis included coordination with Gulf countries. This coordination was at the highest levels, so that any information could enable these countries to protect their bases and the foreign forces stationed there. There was an exchange of information, and indeed, the warning was passed to all GCC countries from the very beginning.”
Suhaib Al-Assa from Al Jazeera asked, “How this event could affect Qatar’s role in mediation movements. Last week, you mentioned that Doha is moving with regional and international partners. Now, Qatari territory has been targeted. How will this targeting affect Qatari diplomatic movements?”
Al-Ansari said Qatar’s role in regional and international peace will not be deterred by any wrongful practices from any party whatsoever.
Major General Al-Hajri stated during the press conference: “Following the recent escalation between Israel and Iran, the Ministry of Defense raised its readiness and preparations to deal with the repercussions of this crisis. And after the US participation in bombing nuclear reactors in Iran, and Iran’s threat to military bases in the region where American forces are present, the Armed Forces activated all its plans to secure its airspace and its territorial and economic waters.”
“This included deploying air defense batteries to protect all of the country’s airspace in all directions, and deploying warships in our territorial and economic waters,” he added.
He said that on the evening of this day, confirmed information was received that the bases where American forces are located in our region were targeted, including the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. “We initially evacuated the foreign forces present at Al Udeid Air Base, then evacuated non-essential personnel to protect them from the impact of the potential attack. Then, after confirming this information, that these bases would indeed be targeted, the Civil Aviation Authority was asked to close the airspace to protect those arriving and departing from Qatar,” said Al-Hajri.
He added, “At exactly 7:30pm, information was received from the monitoring and control system that seven missiles had been launched from northern and northwestern Iran, targeting the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.”
“Air defense batteries were directed, and they dealt with them as soon as they entered the airspace. All these missiles were shot down in the sea before they reached the country’s land,” said Al-Hajri. He said that immediately after that, the base was targeted with 12 missiles; 11 missiles were shot down within the country’s land, and one missile fell at Al Udeid Air Base in an area where there were no losses. “All the missiles that were launched, by the grace of Allah and our available systems, were all shot down,” he added.
Al-Hajri said, “Our armed forces reassure all citizens and residents that they are always at their highest state of readiness to provide security and stability for every citizen and resident on the land of this country.”
Colonel Al Nuaimi said that the security situation is completely stable and that all authorities concerned are working in complete harmony to ensure the security and safety of citizens, residents, and visitors. He said, “All preventive and precautionary measures have been taken according to prepared plans to deal with such emergencies. We are working in continuous coordination with our partners in the security and defense agencies to ensure the continuation of daily life normally.” Al Nuaimi said, “The Ministry stresses not to follow rumours or circulate inaccurate information. It also calls on everyone to assume social responsibility by refraining from circulating or re-publishing information not issued by official bodies. Verify accuracy and obtain information from approved official channels only.”
He said that MoI, in coordination with relevant authorities, continues its full preparations and readiness to follow up on developments and take necessary actions to ensure the safety of citizens and residents and the continuation of public life normally. “We also assure everyone that the competent authorities in the Qatar are closely monitoring events and assessing the situation (moment by moment) within a well-thought-out security system that focuses on readiness and rapid response,” said Al Nuaimi. He said security and stability in Qatar are a top priority, and no external developments will be allowed to affect the safety of our society or disturb the tranquility of public life.
