Claim: A video shows Qatar’s citizens protesting against the existence of a US military base in the country following Iran’s strike on the Al Udeid Air Base.
Fact: The claim is false. The video was shared online on 15 May, over a month before Iran’s strike on the US base in Qatar, confirming that it is unrelated to the incident.
Following Iran’s strike on a US base in Qatar, a viral video was shared on Facebook with the caption: “تاریخ میں پہلی بار قطری عوام احتجاج کررہی ہے وہ بھی امریکی اڈے کے خلاف جو قطر جیسے چھوٹے ملک میں 12کلومیٹر مربع زمین پر بناہوا ہے
لاالٰہ الااللہ امریکہ عدواللہ ۔۔۔ ارحل یعنی چلے جاؤ کے نعرے”
[Translation: For the first time in history, the Qatari people are protesting, and that too against the American military base, which is built on 12 square kilometres of land in a small country like Qatar.
Chants of “La ilaha illallah, America is the enemy of Allah… Arhal,” meaning “Leave,” are being raised.]
Israel launches strikes in Iran
On 13 June, Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites. The strike targeted Iranian nuclear scientists and senior military leadership; among those reportedly killed were Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards Chief Hossein Salami, and IRGC Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, as well as six Iranian nuclear scientists.
Israel targeted key sites, including a major oil depot, a natural gas field, and residential areas, resulting in at least 78 people being killed and over 300 injured in Iran, as of 13 June. In response, Iran launched over 150 ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones at Israeli targets. On 24 June, the Associated Press (AP) quoted the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists as saying that up to 24 people had been killed and over 1,000 injured in Israel.
The conflict entered its second week with the US officially entering the war on 21 June. Late Saturday, President Trump announced that the US had struck three main nuclear sites in Iran, and warned that Tehran would face more devastating attacks if it did not agree to peace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling it a historic move that would prevent a dangerous regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi condemned the attacks as a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, warning of serious consequences and asserting Iran’s right to self-defense.
Iran strikes US base in Qatar
Following the US strikes, Iran retaliated by launching a missile attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a key US military installation. Qatar’s air defenses intercepted the majority of the missiles, and no casualties were reported. This marked a significant escalation, as it was Iran’s first direct attack on US forces in the Gulf during the conflict.
To de-escalate tensions, Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which was declared effective on 24 June. However, just before the ceasefire was to take effect, Iran launched a missile strike on the Israeli city of Beersheba, killing at least four civilians and injuring 20 others. Israel accused Iran of violating the ceasefire and responded with airstrikes targeting sites in Tehran.
Iran’s military denied launching missiles toward Israel, the AP reported, citing the Islamic Republic’s state-run news agency. However, sirens blared across Israel on Monday, according to the Israeli military, while an official told the AP that two Iranian missiles were intercepted.
Israel’s last wave of strikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure near Isfahan, prompting retaliatory drone launches by Tehran, according to a report by Al Jazeera. Iran violated the ceasefire, ‘but Israel violated it too’, Trump told reporters earlier in the day on the White House’s South Lawn as he departed for the NATO summit, the report added.
President Trump expressed strong disapproval of both nations for breaching the ceasefire. He used particularly strong language while warning Israel against further military actions that would violate the agreement.
Fact or Fiction?
Since the video was originally shared on TikTok, Soch Fact Check traced it to locate the original post. It was shared on 15 May 2025, which rules out any connection to Iran’s strikes on the US base in Qatar, as those took place over a month later, on 23 June 2025.
Hazem Al Taqatqa, an independent fact-checker based in Jordan and a member of the Arab Network for Fact-Checkers (AFCN), reviewed the footage and confirmed that it was filmed in Libya. He explained that this was evident from the speaker’s accent, the flags visible in the video, and the content of the speech.
According to Taqatqa, the man in the video says:
“In front of the government headquarters, submit your resignation, save the blood of the youth and submit your resignation, by God, we will not leave, God willing, today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow until your government falls, we know that the attitude of men is to resign, if you are a man, you are hollow and your government is hollow, submit your resignation and get lost, you and those with you, and also until you submit your resignations, we will hold you accountable. We will hold you accountable for the money you took, for the violations and violations of sanctity, for the devastation you did in Tripoli, for the people who died, and for the man you handed over to the Americans, you traitor and agent, and by God, we will not leave you, and by God, we will not leave you, leave, leave, leave.”
This transcription makes it clear that the protest is unrelated to Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and the demonstration was a part of wider protests in Libya.
A keyword search corroborated this as news reports revealed that widespread protests broke out in Tripoli on 15 May 2025. Citizens took to the streets demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, following violent clashes between armed factions that left civilians dead and caused significant property damage.
Demonstrations occurred across key locations, including Martyrs’ Square, the Prime Minister’s office, and Abu Salim, where protesters torched military vehicles and stormed the Stability Support Agency’s headquarters after its chief was assassinated. In response, the Libyan Presidential Council declared a nationwide ceasefire, froze all military and security-related decisions by the Government of National Unity, and announced the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the violence.
Municipalities across Libya condemned the clashes, while international bodies, including the UN, European Union (EU), and the Arab League expressed their grave concern and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Moreover, embassies from the US, UK, Italy, Germany, France, and Canada reiterated calls for de-escalation, protection of civilians, and a return to political dialogue. The International Organisation for Migration also called “for an immediate cessation of hostilities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of civilians.”
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, here, here, here, and here.
On Instagram, it was shared here (archive).
It was shared here, here, here, and here on X. Archived here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The video does not show Qatar’s citizens protesting against a US base in Qatar. In fact, it was filmed in Libya during protests to remove their Prime Minister, a month before Iran struck the US base in Qatar.
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Background image in cover photo: Arab Observer
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