Tangerang. Passengers bound for Qatar were left stranded at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Indonesia on Tuesday following the temporary closure of Hamad International Airport in Doha, amid heightened regional tensions after a missile strike by Iran.

The closure came in response to Iran’s retaliatory attack on the US Al Udeid Air Base, located near Qatar’s capital. The base, a major hub for American forces in the Gulf, was targeted after US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities the day before.

One passenger, Roni, who had booked a morning Qatar Airways flight to Spain with a layover in Doha, said his travel plans were thrown into disarray without clear communication from the airline.

“My flight was scheduled for 9 a.m., but it was canceled due to the missile strike,” Roni said. “I’ve been at the airport since 6 a.m., and by nightfall there was still no clarity on when we would depart.”

Bowo, another traveler affected by the disruption, was en route to Las Palmas, Spain, where he works aboard a fishing vessel. “There’s been no confirmation from the airline. The flight was supposed to go through Qatar, but since this morning we’ve had no update,” he said.

Iran fired 19 missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base late Monday, in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. A Qatari military official confirmed that one missile breached air defenses and struck the base. The attack led Qatar to temporarily shut down its airspace as a security precaution.

Al Udeid Air Base, situated approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Doha, plays a critical role in US military operations in the Middle East. The incident marks a significant escalation in tensions between Iran and the United States, with ripple effects now impacting civilian air travel across the region.

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