DOHA, March 14: Qatar said on Saturday it intercepted two missiles, after blasts were heard in the capital Doha and authorities said they had evacuated some key areas.
Interceptors were seen downing two projectiles over the Qatari capital's downtown area and blasts were heard, according to AFP journalists, as Iran presses on with its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf states.
The country's defence ministry said in two separate posts on Saturday that its military had "intercepted" a missile attack targeting the country.
Earlier, the interior ministry said in a statement it was "evacuating several key areas as a temporary precautionary measure, within the framework of ensuring public safety until the danger has passed".
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In Doha's central Musheireb district some residents received phone alerts telling them to "evacuate the area immediately... to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution".
Scores of residents and some hotel guests in Musheireb rushed into underground car parks for shelter, an AFP journalist witnessed.
Law enforcement were out on the streets and some areas were cordoned off in Musheireb, which hosts a country office for US tech giant Google and the US payments firm American Express.
Musheireb also hosts some Qatari government offices.
In Lusail, north of Doha, police were also stationed at the entrance of the Qatar headquarters for US technology firm Microsoft.
Iran's military said on Wednesday it would launch strikes against US and Israeli economic interests in the region, including banks while an Iranian news agency listed tech giants as possible "future targets".
In the al-Gharafa area to the west of Doha, near the US embassy, some residents also received evacuation messages.
Authorities had already vacated buildings around the American mission in Doha on 5 March after US embassies across the region were targeted by Iran.
The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran targeting US assets but also civilian infrastructure.
