Iran has slammed US forces with one of its most precise barrages yet, crippling a key THAAD missile‑defence battery in the UAE and damaging critical radar systems at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, sending shockwaves through European capitals, defence officials say.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m., launch signatures lit up over western and southern Iran. Within minutes, a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, backed by Shahed‑class drones, raced toward US hubs across the Gulf. In the UAE, at least one missile evaded interception and detonated near a THAAD launcher site, flipping vehicles, shredding sensor masts and knocking the battery’s main fire‑control radar offline.

At Al Udeid, the nerve centre of US air operations in the region, a precision-guided missile slammed into the edge of a radar and communications compound. Satellite dishes were twisted into scrap, and satellite images show a scorched strip running through one of the base’s primary sensor arrays. US Central Command confirms “temporary degradation of early‑warning coverage” but insists flight operations continue.

In Brussels, NATO ambassadors were rushed into an emergency session as European leaders demanded fresh guarantees that their own forward‑deployed forces and energy lifelines are protected. Intelligence briefings warning that similar strikes could reach Mediterranean hubs have rattled markets and triggered urgent reviews of European air‑defence posture.

Tehran hails the attacks as proof it can blind America’s shield. For Washington and Europe, the terrifying question now is whether this was a one‑night warning—or the start of a systematic campaign to punch holes in the entire Western defence network across the Gulf.