TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Area boasts a substantial military community, with MacDill Air Force Base located in South Tampa. That is also the headquarters of CENTCOM which is responsible for operations in the Middle East.
The U.S. military base in Qatar that Iran attacked on Monday is under the command of CENTCOM or U.S. Central Command, which is housed at MacDill Air Force Base.
WATCH: Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base played key role on airstrikes on Iran, retaliation was expected
According to the Department of Defense, CENTCOM was directly involved in the U.S. airstrikes on Iran over the weekend.
Al Udeid Air Base is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. Ten thousand troops are estimated to be stationed there.
Iran launched missile attacks on the base, retaliating for the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday.
Retired U.S. Army Colonel DJ Reyes said the command center from MacDill played a key role in U.S. military strikes in Iran.
Reyes adds that this retaliatory attack was not a surprise.
“We expected this retaliatory attack via their missiles. But their missiles, unlike our missiles, do not have global reach. It's more regional in nature. The other way they can attack us is through asymmetrical warfare, and one of the more common forms is cyber, so we have to be very mindful of that,” Reyes said.
Reyes said the U.S. should also be mindful of proxies like Hamas, which Iran uses as part of their combat power.
Iran said the attack matched the number of bombs dropped by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran also said it targeted the base because it was outside of populated areas.
U.S. officials have reported no casualties.
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