KZN man in Qatar ‘staying put’ despite ongoing Middle East turmoil
A KwaZulu-Natal man living in the Middle East says that, besides being stuck in a foreign country during a time of war, he is not rushing to return home.
The United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran over the weekend.
US President Donald Trump said the war, which began Saturday with a strike that killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was going "substantially" ahead of schedule but warned it could go on for more than four weeks.
He also for the first time laid out objectives -- destroying Iran's missiles, navy and nuclear programme, and stopping its support for armed groups across the region -- which notably did not include toppling the Islamic Republic.
Iran has responded by unleashing missiles and drones across the Middle East, including at Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Dubai.
Nkululeko Ngonyama, originally from Ntuzuma and working in Qatar, says it's currently difficult to say how long the tension will last- but says it was quiet on Monday.
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Ngonyama says they have, however, received a public safety alert, warning residents to remain indoors.
" The situation here in Qatar remains cautious, but stable. Authorities have closed the country. Airspace and Qatar Airways have temporarily suspended all regular flights. I hope things will get better soon. So that we will go back to our work as usual."
Qatar's military intercepted two ballistic missiles early Tuesday morning, the country's defence ministry said in a statement, after AFP reporters heard loud explosions across Doha.
Qatar was able to "intercept and neutralise two ballistic missiles that targeted several areas within the country," the ministry said in a statement, adding the "threat was dealt with immediately upon detection".
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New strikes were also reported Tuesday across the Middle East, including Israeli bombardment on Lebanon and a drone attack on the US embassy in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh.
Additional reporting AFP
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