The Pentagon already had begun taking measures to strengthen its firepower in the Middle East and protect U.S. bases there.

The disruptions lasted several hours and resulted in dozens of aircraft diverting from major hub cities Dubai and Doha. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Iran retaliated against the U.S. on Monday, launching missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar, according to a statement from the Qatar foreign ministry. The missiles targeted Al-Ubaid Air Base outside Doha and were intercepted by air defenses before they could strike the base, the Qatari government said.