3 FEB 26 SITREP

• Trump 2024 senior advisor Alex Bruesewitz confirmed he was safe after 72 hours in the Middle East when he heard missiles entering the airspace over Doha at approximately 9 a.m. local time on a Saturday, turning a planned 36-hour trip into double that after all commercial flights were canceled.
• Bruesewitz located a private charter aircraft with authorized landing clearance in a nearby city, funded the flight out of his own pocket, arranged private security transportation, and evacuated 7 additional Americans from the region.
• Among those evacuated was Sarah, a dog walker returning from Rwanda after a safari, whose flight was turned around midair and sent back to Doha; she was contacted at 5 a.m. and instructed to meet at a specific location at 10 a.m. to secure departure.
• As the group departed Doha, reports indicated that Qatar shot down 2 Iranian jets entering its airspace, while the U.S. State Department issued evacuation guidance, published a call line for assistance, and began coordinating military aircraft and charter flights for Americans seeking to leave the Middle East.

• Iranian airstrikes intensified across the Middle East in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks, prompting U.S. embassies in Iraq, Jordan, and Bahrain to order non-emergency personnel to leave their posts.
• The U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia was struck by Iranian drones, sustaining minor damage, while a fire was reported at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait.
• In Kuwait, 6 American service members were killed and 18 others were injured during an Iranian attack on a tactical operations center, according to the Pentagon.
• Iran’s military announced it had shut down one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, contributing to oil prices skyrocketing amid the expanding regional conflict.

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated there was an imminent threat, asserting that intelligence indicated Iran was preparing to attack Israel and other countries, leading the United States to strike first to prevent escalation.
• President Trump stated that if the United States had not acted, Iran would have attacked first, and that the decision to strike was made to preempt that attack.
• U.S. and allied operations reportedly decimated Iranian missile capabilities, weapons infrastructure, and nuclear program ambitions, with early strikes targeting the Ayatollah.
• Reports indicated that Israeli Defense Forces struck a meeting of Iranian officials who were attempting to elect a new supreme leader following the initial strikes.