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President Donald Trump has officially signed an executive order providing major security guarantees to Qatar.

Getting into it: The executive order, signed earlier this week, marks a major shift in how the US treats its relationship with Qatar. It states that any armed attack on Qatari territory, sovereignty, or key infrastructure will be seen as a threat to the peace and security of the United States, and that the US will respond with whatever measures are necessary, including diplomacy, economic pressure, or even military force.

While it’s not a formal treaty passed by Congress, it’s essentially a NATO-style security pledge (something no other Arab country has ever received from the US). In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States “reaffirms its enduring security partnership with Qatar” and said that the US remains “fully committed to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our key regional allies.”

In response, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani welcomed the executive order, calling it “a historic and strategic milestone” in US-Qatar relations. He added that the security guarantees reflect “the depth of trust and mutual commitment between Doha and Washington,” especially in light of recent “threats” to Qatar’s sovereignty.

The move comes just weeks after Israel launched a missile strike on Doha, targeting Hamas officials. Qatar, which has long hosted Hamas political figures, criticized the strike and said it threatened US-Qatari relations. The strike killed multiple Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, pissing off Qatar and creating a headache for the Trump administration (which has been seeking to strengthen ties with Qatari officials).