The report also highlights the ongoing campaign by the UAE to try to provoke Qatar into an excuse for military action.

Qatar has on multiple occasions campaigned about violations of its airspace by UAE aircraft, and even sent a letter to the UN earlier this year.
According to two former US Department of State officials, the Saudi-UAE plan "was likely some weeks away from being implemented" when former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson halted it.

"Tillerson made a series of phone calls urging Saudi officials not to take military action against the country," said the report.

The sources told The Intercept that in the calls, Tillerson, who dealt extensively with the Qatari government as the CEO of Exxon Mobil, urged Saudi King Salman, then-Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir not to attack Qatar or otherwise escalate hostilities. Tillerson also encouraged Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to call his counterparts in Saudi Arabia to explain the dangers of such an invasion.

Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, announcing he will replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt all cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar last year, after officially accusing it of “sponsoring terrorism.”

Qatar's Foreign Ministry later announced that the decision to cut diplomatic ties was unjustified and based on false claims and assumpt. Qatar strongly dismissed allegations of supporting terrorism after the Saudi regime and its allies blacklisted dozens of individuals and entities purportedly associated with Doha.

Later that month, Saudi Arabia and its allies released a 13-point list of demands, including the closure of Al Jazeera television network and downgrade of relations with Iran, in return for the normalization of diplomatic relations with Doha.