{"id":17647,"date":"2026-03-12T06:44:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T06:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/?p=17647"},"modified":"2026-03-12T06:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T06:45:10","slug":"qatar-is-not-the-primary-target-of-iranian-missile-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/srilanka.factcrescendo.com\/english\/qatar-is-not-the-primary-target-of-iranian-missile-strikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Qatar Facing the Highest Number of Missile Attacks from Iran?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Amid the escalating conflicts in the Middle East, misleading reports have been circulating on social media and, at times, even in mainstream media. This is a fact-check we conducted on one such claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Media Posts :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A news report claiming that \u201cQatar is receiving the highest number of missile attacks from Iran\u201d was published by a mainstream media outlet as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Facebook<\/a> | Archived Link<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post has been widely shared on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This post claims that since Israel began attacking Iran, the highest number of Iranian retaliatory strikes have been directed at Qatar. We conducted a fact-check to verify the accuracy of this claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fact Check :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel jointly launched Operation Epic Fury<\/a>, a large-scale assault targeting nuclear and military sites in Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, Iran has begun retaliatory attacks, launching ballistic missiles and drones <\/a>toward Israel and several Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases in the Middle East, including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attack on Qatar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 3, 2026, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, located southeast of Doha, Qatar. Two ballistic missiles were fired from Iran toward Qatar. One missile was successfully destroyed by Qatar\u2019s air defense system, while the second missile struck the Al Udeid base area. More details can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 3, 2026, Qatar\u2019s airspace had recorded<\/a> 3 cruise missiles, 101 ballistic missiles, and 39 suicide drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Qatar Ministry of Defense has revealed a summary<\/a> of all the attacks carried out since the start of Iran\u2019s assault. A summary of that report is provided below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type of Weapon<\/strong><\/th>Total Launched<\/strong><\/th>Successfully Intercepted<\/strong><\/th>Landed in Qatar<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Ballistic Missiles<\/strong><\/td>101<\/strong><\/td>98<\/strong><\/td>3<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Drones (UAVs):<\/strong><\/td>39<\/strong><\/td>24<\/strong><\/td>15<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Cruise Missiles<\/strong><\/td>3<\/strong><\/td>3<\/strong><\/td>0<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Su-24 Fighter Jets<\/strong><\/td>2<\/strong><\/td>2<\/strong> (shot down)<\/td>0<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Attacks Launched by Iran on Regional Countries as of 3<\/strong>rd <\/sup><\/strong>March 2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the ongoing operation against Israe<\/a>l, Iran has launched around 200 ballistic missiles toward Israeli territory, of which approximately 185 were successfully destroyed. Around 400 drones were identified, with 380 destroyed, and 35 cruise missiles were detected, all destroyed entering Israeli airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense,<\/a> since the beginning of the operation, 186 ballistic missiles have been launched toward the UAE. Of these, 172 were destroyed, 13 fell into the sea, and 1 struck land. Additionally, 812 Iranian drones were identified, with 57 reaching UAE territory, while 8 cruise missiles were detected and destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Bahrain, the Ministry of Defense reports that <\/a>76 Iranian missiles were launched at the country, with 73 successfully destroyed. Around 109 drones were identified, of which 91 were destroyed by air defense systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Kuwaiti security authorities<\/a>, approximately 178 missiles launched toward the country were successfully destroyed by air defense systems. Additionally, around 384 drones identified over Kuwaiti airspace were destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran does not launch the heaviest attack on Qatar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A summary of the attacks carried out by Iran against regional countries shows that the claim that the heaviest attack was on Qatar is misleading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Country<\/strong><\/th>No: of Ballistic Missiles<\/strong><\/th>Drones (UAVs)<\/strong><\/th>Total Attacks<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
United Arab Emirates (UAE)<\/td>186<\/td>812<\/td>998<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Israel<\/strong><\/td>210<\/td>420<\/td>6<\/strong>30<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Qatar<\/strong><\/td>101<\/td>39<\/td>140<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Bahrain<\/strong><\/td>76<\/td>109<\/td>185<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Kuwait<\/strong><\/td>178<\/td>384<\/td>562<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From this data, it is clear that Iran launched the most missiles at Israel, while the overall highest number of attacks was directed at the UAE. The numbers also show that Iran deployed more drones to the Arab Gulf states compared to Israel, likely due to their geographical proximity. Further details are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join us to learn about our fact checking investigations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conclusion:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our investigation confirms that the claim that Qatar received the heaviest missile attacks from Iran is misleading. According to official numbers and verified data, the largest number of ballistic missiles was fired at Israel, while the UAE experienced the highest total number of attacks, including drones, from Iran in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n