Qatari naval ships successfully intercept Iranian drones

The Qatari Emiri Navy's ballistic missile defence-capable ships include the four Al Zubarah-class corvettes and the helicopter-capable landing platform dock (LPD) QENS Al Fulk (pictured), which is also the service's flagship and its largest vessel. All five ships were built by Italy's Fincantieri.

The corvettes and the LPD are armed with Aister surface-to-air missiles and remotely controlled automatic weapons. The latter are also capable of dealing with a range of airborne threats including small drones.

Qatar is among the Middle East Gulf states that have been targeted by Iranian retaliatory strikes following the initial attacks by US and Israeli forces under Operation Epic Fury on Saturday, February 28. Al Udeid Air Base, which also hosts the forward headquarters of US Central Command, was struck by an Iranian drone earlier this week, though no casualties have been reported.