Iraqi TV reporter weighs in on Iran strikes

Action News got special insight into the situation in the Middle East from an Iraqi journalist.

"Right now, people are on high alert. Not just in Iraq, but in the whole area, the Arab world countries," said Dler Mohammed of Kurdistan 24 News in northern Iraq.

He said many in the region did not expect to see the attack from U.S. forces on Iran's nuclear sites. But as soon as they happened, he knew there would be retaliation.

That retribution coming Monday morning during this interview. The strikes on a U.S. base in Qatar, intercepted by the country's military.

Mohammed pointed to the signs it was a coordinated effort, saying Qatar was the only one in the region to order a full closure of it's airspace and that the U.S. government warned its citizens in Qatar to stay home.

"There's something called saving faces, or face saving. Sometimes, most of the time in the past, the Iranian response will coordinate with U.S. government. They've been telling the U.S. government that they will attack that exact base at that exact time," said Mohammed.

Mohammed said since the start of the conflict between Israel and Iran people across the Arab world have been preparing for chaos.

"People stay home. People don't go outside, that's very important. People only go to work. Bazaars and markets are empty. The real estate market has stopped. Business has stopped. All types of businesses has stopped," said Mohammed.