ISTANBUL

Qatar said Tuesday evening that the armed forces intercepted a missile attack targeting the country.

The defense ministry, however, did not provide any further details.

The Qatar-based Al Jazeera television said explosions were heard in the skies over Doha caused by interception operations.

The defense ministry earlier said that air defenses had shot down five Iranian ballistic missiles launched toward the Qatari territory.

Regional escalation has flared since Feb. 28 when Israel and the US launched a joint attack against Iran, killing more than 1,200 people and injuring another 10,000.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.