Qatar signs on to buy 12 Rafale fighter jets from France

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar's ruling emir and French President Emmanuel Macron signed $12 billion in deals during the French president's visit to Doha on Thursday, including the purchase of 12 French-made Dassault Rafale fighter jets with the option of buying 36 more.

Qatar exercised its existing right to purchase 12 more, bringing the total number of Rafales the Gulf Arab country will have to 36.

Macron is traveling with Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who in 2015 as defense minister helped negotiate a deal with Qatar to buy 24 Rafale fighter jets.

Macron's one-day trip to the small Gulf nation comes as it faces continued isolation and a boycott by some of its Arab neighbors.