US Evacuates Gulf Bases as Iran Launches Operation Victory 2

The United States evacuated Al Udeid air base in Qatar and Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates after a series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran. Satellite imagery from July 24 showed the rapid removal of aircraft and military assets from these key US Central Command and reconnaissance hubs.

These evacuations coincide with a broad offensive by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Under the labels Operation Nasr 2 and Operation Victory 2, Iranian forces struck US installations in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Erbil, Iraq. In Jordan, the IRGC targeted the Muwaffaq Salti and Al-Azraq air bases, claiming to have destroyed multiple fighter jets and aircraft. Other strikes targeted a power station and ammunition hangars at Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a Patriot air defense system in Iraq, and the US Fifth Fleet command and control center in Bahrain.

The escalation follows the collapse of a June 18 memorandum intended to end a conflict that began in February. After the US launched strikes against Iran on July 8 due to interference with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump declared the ceasefire no longer in effect. US officials acknowledged that Iranian missile capabilities have evolved to bypass regional defenses, and reports indicate at least 13 American soldiers were injured in the recent attacks.