US to host training base for Qatari pilots in Idaho

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the United States will host a new training facility for Qatar's military.

Hegseth said that the military facility will be located at Mountain Home Air Force Base, in Idaho. It will train Qatari Air Force F-15 pilots alongside U.S. contingents.

The secretary made the announcement during a meeting at the Pentagon with Qatari Defense Minister Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. He said the base will serve to "enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability." "It's just another example of our partnership."

Late last month, Donald Trump signed an executive order assuring that "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."

In another show of closeness, in his latest meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump reportedly persuaded the Israeli leader to call Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to apologize for violating his sovereignty with an attack on senior Hamas commanders. He also promised to not initiate further airstrikes, according to the White House.

The president also emphasized Doha's role as a mediator in the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas. In the early months of his second term, the emirate promised Trump a plane.