Trump orders U.S. to defend Qatar after Doha strike
President Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging to "guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the state of Qatar," saying the United States will regard any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to U.S. peace and security and will take "all lawful and appropriate measures — including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military — to defend" Qatari and U.S. interests; the order was posted by the White House after an Israeli strike on Doha that killed six people and came during a Washington visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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🔍 Key Facts
- President Trump signed an executive order (text posted on the White House website) vowing to defend Qatar; the order says the U.S. will treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to U.S. peace and security.
- The order pledges measures 'including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military' action to defend Qatar and restore stability.
- The move followed an Israeli strike on Doha that the article reports killed six people (including a Qatari security-force member) and came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington and spoke to Qatar by phone.
- The order’s legal/political weight is uncertain — treaties require Senate approval, and the article notes presidents sometimes enter international commitments without Senate ratification — but it has immediate regional and military implications given U.S. use of Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base.