WASHINGTON A mysterious source contacted multiple news outlets this week to share emails between the influential ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Yousef Al Otaiba, and top figures in the American foreign policy community, including former Defense Secretary Robert Gates .

In private correspondence, Otaiba an extremely powerful figure in Washington, D.C., who is reportedly in in almost constant phone and email contact with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump s adviser and son-in-law is seen pushing for the U.S. to close down its military base in Qatar and otherwise poking at issues that could drive a wedge between the U.S. and that Arab nation. He also says that his countrys de facto ruler is supportive of a wave of anti-Qatar criticism in the U.S. that the Gulf state last month called a smear campaign and that has prompted behind-the-scenes alarm inside the U.S. government.

The anonymous leakers told HuffPost they sought to expose the UAEs efforts to manipulate the U.S. government, and denied any allegiance to Qatar or any other government.

Regardless of the leakers intent, the revelations promise to heighten tensions between the two U.S. partners. If the UAE succeeds in damaging Americas decades-old relationship with Qatar, the result could dramatically undermine U.S. goals in the Middle East. The two American partners escalating rivalry could worsen conflict in war zones where they support different proxy forces notably in Libya , which has become a haven for smugglers, warlords, and terrorists while distracting attention from bigger international priorities, like restoring stability in Syria and Iraq after the expected battlefield defeat of the Islamic State. And the UAE strategy could leave the U.S. more wedded to that governments whims, including its policy of maintaining brittle autocratic rule across the region instead of trying to secure long-term stability by having some level of popular participation.