(QATAR) — Qatar reported around 20 people injured in Iranian attacks since the Islamic Republic began striking countries in the region amid the US-Israeli bombing campaign, with officials saying the targets included the country’s main airport and major energy infrastructure.
Majed Al Ansari, spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, told CNN the injuries were mostly minor and that Qatar thwarted most attacks, causing very minimal damage. He described the strikes as hitting commercial, civilian, and military infrastructure, including Qatar’s international airport, a water tank at a power plant in Mesaieed, and an energy facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City.
Al Ansari said over 100 missiles and scores of drones were launched, adding that they were aimed not only at U.S. forces but also at civilian sites. Qatar has not provided a more detailed public breakdown of the injured beyond describing the injuries as mostly minor.
Qatar’s Defense Ministry separately confirmed it intercepted two recent drones from Iran, with no casualties reported from those specific incidents. The ministry did not describe where the drones were headed or where they were intercepted.
Officials framed the Iranian attacks as part of a wider campaign of missile and drone launches across the region, as Iran retaliated during the US-Israeli bombing campaign. Qatar’s account emphasized that air defenses stopped most incoming threats and limited damage at the sites it said were targeted.
The scope and pace of the launches, as Qatar described them, pointed to repeated attempts to reach both military and civilian-linked infrastructure, including aviation and energy assets. Even as Qatar cited minimal damage overall, officials presented the sheer number of missiles and drones as a central feature of the campaign.
Assessments continued as new interceptions and launches unfolded, and authorities have not provided a definitive accounting for every missile and drone Qatar said Iran fired. Qatar’s statements nevertheless distinguished between launches, interceptions, and casualties, highlighting the lack of casualties in the two recent drone incidents.
The attacks and air defenses also fed into disruptions across key travel hubs, as airport operations became a point of pressure for governments and travelers. Major airports in Doha and Dubai closed for a third consecutive day as of March 2, 2026, stranding thousands of passengers.
Doha’s closure followed Qatar’s statement that its international airport was among the targets of the Iranian attacks. Dubai’s airport, described as the world’s busiest international hub, also remained shut, deepening knock-on effects for regional and international travel.
Travelers faced extended delays as airlines rerouted and airport closures cascaded through schedules, while officials continued to focus public messaging on airspace and infrastructure security. The source of the airport disruptions was tied in officials’ accounts to the ongoing missile and drone threat environment.
Diplomatically, Qatar signaled it was keeping distance from Tehran in the immediate term. Al Ansari said Qatar was not currently engaging with Iran diplomatically.
A U.S. State Department joint statement on March 1, 2026, addressed Iran’s missile and drone attacks in the region. The statement’s release came as governments weighed how to pair security measures around aviation and infrastructure with broader messages about regional stability.
Qatar’s official narrative placed the country’s experience within a wider regional picture that also included the United Arab Emirates, where Dubai’s airport remained closed as of March 2, 2026. Iran remained central to the accounts of the launches, while U.S. forces were among the stated intended targets, alongside civilian sites.
Visual reports from outside Qatar added to the sense of a region operating under intermittent aerial threat. A rocket was spotted over Dubai skies, with smoke trails visible to eyewitnesses.
Separate reporting on Iran’s retaliatory strikes on March 1, 2026, described inconsistencies that suggested coordination challenges among Iranian units. With airport closures continuing and interceptions still being reported, authorities across the region continued assessing security, travel and infrastructure conditions as the situation evolved.
