Qatar said today it was the victim of an orchestrated smear campaign in sections of the media over its alleged "support" for terrorism, a claim Doha denounced as a "lie".
In a strongly-worded government statement, Qatar said it had been deliberately targeted ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the region, which began today.
"In the run-up to Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East, an orchestrated barrage of opinion pieces by anti-Qatar organisations in a variety of mainstream and online publications has alleged that Qatar is sympathetic to, or turns a blind eye toward the actions of terrorist groups in the Middle East," read the statement.
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The statement added that any "allegation that Qatar supports terrorism is a lie".
It gave no examples of any articles it was referring to, nor any of the "anti-Qatar organisations".
But the government statement said, however, that one day those responsible for the "anti-Qatar" campaign might be unmasked.
"When that happens we will, perhaps, learn the true motive behind their efforts to damage Qatar's good name."
Doha has long faced accusations that it is a state sponsor of terror.
It has faced criticism in some quarters for its support of rebel groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Qatari individuals have also been sanctioned by the US Treasury for terror-funding activities.
In recent weeks, Qatar has been accused outright of terror funding in articles which have appeared in the American media.
It was also criticised for providing a sanctuary to former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, who earlier this month used his Doha base, where he has lived in exile for several years, to launch a new policy document.
The Afghan Taliban also opened an office in Doha in 2013.
Qatar, which will host the 2022 football World Cup, is a member of the US-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State group.
And the country is also home to the Al-Udeid airbase, where the US conducts all coalition air operations for the region.
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