The announcement on Friday came during a meeting between Hegseth and Qatari Defence Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon.

Hegseth praised Qatar’s role in helping to mediate Gaza ceasefire talks, with an initial phase of a deal between Israel and Hamas going into effect on Friday.

“No one other than President [Donald] Trump could have achieved the peace that we believe will be a lasting peace in Gaza, and Qatar played a substantial role from the beginning,” Hegseth said.

Defence Minister Sheikh Saoud also hailed the cooperation between Washington and Doha on the ceasefire breakthrough, which aims to end Israel’s two-year-long war in Gaza, which has killed at least 67,190 Palestinians.

The minister said the agreement showed what can be achieved when the US works with partners in the region, including Egypt and Turkiye, with “courage and trust”.

Hegseth then shifted his remarks to the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, which he said would host a contingent of Qatari F-15 fighter planes and pilots to “enhance our combined training, increase lethality, [and] interoperability”.

Ali al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché to the US, later clarified that the facility “will not be a Qatari airbase”.

“Qatar has made an initial 10-year commitment to construct and maintain a dedicated facility within an existing US airbase” to offer “advanced training and to enhance interoperability in defending and advancing our shared interests around the world,” al-Ansari said in a statement.