Trump will feel enormous pressure to hit back
Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, Washington DC
Trump visited the Al Udeid airbase in May
President Trump, his secretary of defense, and the chairman of the joint chiefs were hunkered down in the Situation Room as the reports came in from Qatar.
The National Security Council has been meeting more or less daily since Israel launched its attacks on Iran 10 days ago.
The focus of concern is the Al Udeid airbase - which is both America’s biggest base in the region and the forward headquarters of Central Command, which covers the whole Middle East.
Just days ago, satellite pictures showed that dozens of aircraft had been moved off the tarmac in what was certainly a precautionary move ahead of the weekend strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
In May, Donald Trump visited the base as part of his trip to the region.
During a speech, he told service personnel: "As president, my priority is to end conflicts, not start them. But I will never hesitate to wield American power, if it’s necessary, to defend the United States of America or our partners."
After the weekend strikes, the president said any retaliation by Iran would be "met by force far greater".
Even though so far it seems that there have been no casualties, the president will feel enormous pressure to hit back - and prove that his threats are not empty.
