Qatar buys French-made fighter jets, armored vehicles amid regional tensions

French President Emmanuel Macron sealed a multi-billion dollar military and transport contract in Qatar on Thursday amid mounting tensions in the Middle East. The deals include the sale of Rafale fighter jets and hundreds of armored vehicles, Reuters said. Qatar agreed to firm up an option from 2015 to buy 12 more Dassault Aviation-made Rafale fighters, and said it may purchase a further 36. The country had already bought 24 planes for around $7.11 billion, which included missiles. Doha will also commit to buying 490 armored vehicles from defense firm Nexter, sending a signal to its neighbors, which cut political and trade links with Qatar in June. They accuse it of supporting terrorism, a charge Qatar denies. Macron is meeting in Doha with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to discuss combating the financing of terrorism.