UK withdraws some personnel from Qatar air base

UK is withdrawing some personnel from an air base in Qatar, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, mirroring similar moves by the US at bases in the Middle East after an Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.

A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence said the department did not comment on details of basing and deployments due to security.

“The UK always puts precautionary measures in place to ensure the security and safety of UK personnel, including where necessary withdrawing personnel,” the spokesperson added.

US withdrawing some troops from key Middle East bases as precaution, US official says

The US is withdrawing some personnel from key bases in the region as a precaution given heightened regional tensions, a US. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The disclosure follows remarks by a senior Iranian official who told Reuters earlier on Wednesday that Tehran had warned neighbors hosting U.S. troops that it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.

Tehran has warned neighbouring countries hosting US troops that it would retaliate against American bases if Washington carries out threats to intervene in protests in Iran.

Three diplomats said some personnel had been advised to leave the main US air base in the region, although there were no immediate signs of a large-scale evacuation of troops as took place in the hours before an Iranian missile attack last year.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where a rights group said 2,600 people have been killed in recent days in a crackdown on one of the biggest ever protest movements against clerical rule.

According to an Israeli assessment, Trump has decided to intervene, although the scope and timing of this action remains unclear, an Israeli official said.