By Staff, Agencies

Iranian armed forces have launched a missile barrage at American military bases in Qatar in a retaliatory operation a day after Iranian nuclear sites were targeted by US bombers.

In a statement following the successful retaliatory operation codenamed 'Tidings of Victory', Iranian armed forces said it came in response to the “blatant military aggression by the criminal regime of the United States” against the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic.

The statement described the US aggression as “a clear violation of international law” and added that under the directive of the Supreme National Security Council and the command of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters [PBUH], the Islamic Revolutionary Guards [IRG], using the sacred code “Ya Aba Abdillah al-Hussain [AS],” launched a powerful and devastating missile strike on the Al Udeid base in Qatar.

This base serves as the headquarters of the US Air Force Command and represents the most strategic asset of the American military in West Asia.

“The message of this decisive action by the sons of the nation in the armed forces to the White House and its allies is clear and direct,” the statement noted, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran will “never leave any violation of its territorial integrity, sovereignty, or national security unanswered.”

It further said that the American enemy’s aggression has “exposed to all that Zionist malice is simply a continuation of US strategy” while reminding all that in this national defense, American military bases and assets in the region “are not points of strength but critical vulnerabilities — the Achilles’ heel of this warmongering regime.”

“On the eve of the month of Muharram, the time of mourning for the Master of Martyrs, Imam Aba Abdillah al-Hussain [AS], we once again warn the enemies of Islamic Iran that the era of 'hit and run' is over,” the armed forces stated.

The statement noted that the will of the powerful, people-backed armed forces is such that “any repeat of these hostile actions will only hasten the collapse of America's military presence in the region, lead to their disgraceful retreat from West Asia, and fulfill the shared dream of the Islamic Ummah and freedom-loving nations — the eradication of the cancerous Zionist entity.”

In a separate statement, the Supreme National Security Council said the operation on Monday was in response to the “brazen and aggressive act” by the United States against Iran’s nuclear facilities, carried out by the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic.

The number of missiles used in this successful operation, it said, matched the number of bombs the US regime employed in its attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The statement added that the base targeted by Iran’s capable forces was located far from urban infrastructure and residential areas in Qatar, without posing any threat to Qatar.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran remains committed to maintaining and continuing its warm and historic relations with Qatar,” he stated.

Ahead of the operation on Monday evening, Qatari authorities had ordered the closure of its airspace and the US embassy in Doha had also evacuated its staff.