According to reports from Reuters and The New York Times, Iran informed both Qatar and the United States in advance that it would launch missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha. The warning was given several hours before the strike. The target was not chosen at random either—Al Udeid had been evacuated a week earlier, with the Americans leaving behind only air defenses to protect Doha.

All of this suggests that the launch of six missiles at Qatar was nothing more than a domestic propaganda maneuver by Iran to project strength to its population. Iranian state television claimed that “many aircraft were destroyed at Al Udeid,” despite there being no aircraft at the base and all six missiles having been intercepted.