Officials also said that two Iranian Su-24 tactical bombers headed toward Al-Udeid Air Base, a major U.S. military base housing 10,000 soldiers, and a gas production facility were shot down on Thursday by Qatari forces minutes before they were about to strike their targets.

CNN, which broke the story, reported that Qatari officials said the bombers were identified visually, were flying low to avoid radar detection and ignored radio warnings. A Qatari F-15 fighter jet shot the bombers down when they were “two minutes” away from hitting their targets, marking Qatar’s first foray into air-to-air combat.

It is rare for Iran to send manned aircraft instead of drones and missiles.

The Qataris also confirmed Thursday that 14 missiles and four drones were launched at the Gulf state from Iran. Qatar intercepted all the missiles and drones except for one missile that landed in territorial waters. Iran insists that attacks on Turkey and Azerbaijan are unintentional. However, such strikes are inevitable while Iran floods the region with missiles and drones.

Qatar arrested 10 Iranians suspected of spying earlier this week. “Close surveillance made it possible to arrest 10 suspects: seven were tasked with spying and gathering information about vital and military infrastructure in the country, and three were meant to carry out sabotage operations,” the Qatar News Agency said.

Doha has accused Tehran of intentionally targeting civilian neighborhoods and infrastructure. In a phone call, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told Qatar’s prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, that Iran had only intended to hit U.S. military targets in Qatar. Al Thani was having none of it. He said that Iran had violated Qatari sovereignty by targeting civilian areas such as residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure such as the airport and gas production plants.

Al Thani did not seem to think it was possible for drones and missiles to enter Qatari airspace — which the Qataris then had to intercept — in an effort to restore peace. Instead, he said it signals an intention to escalate tensions, accusing Iran in the phone call of intending “to harm its neighbors and drag them into a war that is not theirs.”

“HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has rejected Iranian claims that recent missile attacks were not aimed at Qatar, saying the evidence on the ground showed otherwise,” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry posted in a statement on X.

The fresh wave of attacks on Thursday led Qatar to warn civilians to take precautions.

“The Ministry also urges citizens, residents, and visitors to remain calm, adhere to official instructions issued by the security authorities, avoid rumors, and rely solely on information released through official channels,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.