President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, wherein any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty, or critical infrastructure of the State of Qatar would be considered a threat to the peace and security of the United States.
According to the order, in the event of such an attack, the United States would take all lawful and appropriate measures, including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military measures, to protect the interests of the US and Qatar to restore peace.
The order also instructs the Secretary of War (formerly the Secretary of Defense) and the Secretary of State to conduct joint planning with Qatar and coordinate assistance measures with other allies.
Qatar-US talks
Days before the Trump executive order, Sky News Arabia reported that Qatar had informed the US administration that it may be able to persuade Hamas to disarm and accept Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
Qatari officials reportedly told Trump, along with Arab states, that it was "capable of persuading Hamas to agree to a deal that includes demilitarization," a source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post.
These reports come weeks after the US president said that Qatar has been a great ally to the US and that Israel has to be "very careful."
Trump was responding to a reporter who asked him what his message was to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel's strikes on Qatar.
Days after the Israeli strike in Doha, Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York.
Reuters and Maariv Online contributed to this report.