Exclusive: Iranian bombers were ‘two minutes’ from striking US air base before Qatari planes shot them down

Exclusive: Iranian bombers were ‘two minutes’ from striking US air base before Qatari planes shot them down

Two U.S. military sources revealed that Iranian bombers nearly reached the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East before being intercepted by Qatari fighter jets in their initial aerial combat operation, CNN reported. On March 4, 2026, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard sent two Soviet-era Su-24 bombers toward al-Udeid Air Base, home to approximately 10,000 U.S. troops, and Ras Laffan, a vital natural gas processing hub central to Qatar’s economy.

According to one of the sources, the Iranian aircraft were just two minutes away from their objectives. A second source confirmed the jets were visually tracked and documented carrying bombs and precision-guided weapons. Qatar’s air force issued a radio alert, but the Iranian planes ignored the warning, flying at 80 feet to avoid radar detection.

With time running short and evidence pointing to their hostile intent, the aircraft were deemed threats. Qatar then deployed its warplanes, with an F-15 engaging the Iranian bombers in mid-air. The jets were eventually shot down, crashing into Qatar’s territorial waters. The Foreign Ministry’s Majed al-Ansari stated that search efforts are ongoing for the Iranian crew.

“Qatari fighters for the first time have shot down two Iranian bombers on route to their location,” said U.S. Gen. Dan Caine, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, during a Pentagon briefing. He noted the incident without specifying the bombers’ ultimate target.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, labeled the event “escalatory” during a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. “Rather, it seeks to inflict harm on its neighbors and drag them into a war that is not theirs,” Al Thani remarked, according to a call summary.

This marked the first instance of Iran using manned aircraft to attack a neighboring country since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death in the initial strikes on Tehran. Typically, Iran’s retaliation has relied on missiles and drones, with over 400 ballistic missiles and 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles launched at Arab Gulf nations since the U.S.-Israeli assaults.

Despite most projectiles being intercepted, six U.S. service members were killed when an Iranian missile struck a temporary operations center at Kuwait’s Shuaiba port on Sunday. The attack highlighted Iran’s growing aggression, disrupting communities accustomed to stability and targeting critical infrastructure across the region.