Some members of the US military were advised on Wednesday evening to leave Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, according to Reuters citing three diplomats. The development comes amid ongoing protests in Iran and Washington’s warnings against interference. One diplomat described the move as a routine change rather than a directed relocation, adding that it was unclear whether any specific reason was behind it. The US Embassy in Doha did not immediately comment, while Al Jazeera reached out to Qatar’s foreign ministry for a response.

Al Udeid is the largest US base in the Middle East, hosting around 10,000 troops. Last year, before a US airstrike in Iran, some personnel and families were relocated from American bases in the region. Following that strike, Iran launched missile attacks on the Qatari base. An Iranian official had earlier warned that Tehran might target US military installations in regional countries in response to Washington’s actions.

Located in the desert outside Doha, the 24-hectare base serves as the forward headquarters of US Central Command, overseeing operations from Egypt to Kazakhstan.