U.S. officials said some personnel have been advised to evacuate a major airbase in Qatar as a "precautionary measure" due to the tensions with Iran. The Al Udeid airbase is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East.

Al-Udeid Air Base

The United States has begun reducing personnel at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, as a precautionary measure amid increased tensions with Iran. U.S. officials stated that the evacuation is not on the same scale as the previous drawdown following Operation Midnight Hammer, which involved U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and subsequent Iranian bombardment.

Currently, about 10,000 U.S. personnel are stationed at Al Udeid, and the base remains operational with significant air and naval assets in the region. While Iran has threatened retaliation if attacked, there has been no drawdown of U.S. troops in neighboring Iraq, where approximately 2,000 personnel are based.

U.S. reduces personnel at airbase in Qatar amid tensions with Iran

U.S. military forces in the Middle East are on high alert right now, and some personnel in the region are being moved out to avoid any potential attacks from Iran. Charlie Daggett has that part of the story for us. Charlie, good morning. Hey, good morning, Nate. So, U.S. officials we spoke to said some personnel have been advised to evacuate the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar as a precautionary measure due to tensions with Iran. So Al Udeid is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. It's home to around 10,000 U.S. military personnel. The last drawdown there was after Operation Midnight Hammer. That's when the U.S. bombed Iran's nuclear facilities back in June. We were told then only 44 soldiers manned the Patriot missile defense systems, and it came under heavy Iranian bombardment. So this is nowhere near that kind of withdrawal. Iran has threatened to retaliate again if attacked. The closest target is around 2,000 U.S. troops based in neighboring Iraq, actually where Holly was just reporting from. But so far, no drawdown in troops there. If the U.S. were to attack Iran, there are stealth fighters in Qatar, as well as heavy bombers. There are also three Navy destroyers in the region capable of launching cruise missiles. And of course, you remember, the June bombing campaign was led by B-2 stealth bombers. Those were out of the U.S. Nate?

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