The video shows two American troops, one of which appears to point to the Qatari flag before the two break into laughter.
In response, the Qatari foreign ministry has, "summoned the American ambassador…over a video which was recently circulated on social media. She was asked for an explanation of the contents of that video."
Posting to Twitter, US Ambassador Dana Shell Smith apologized to the Qatari authorities and promised to look into the matter.
"The US military command was sent to investigate this incident and disciplinary action will be taken," she wrote.
"Rest assured that these soldiers made fun of themselves and not of the state of Qatar."
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook also addressed the incident.
"We sincerely regret any offense the video may have caused," he said. "The content of this video does not reflect the esteem the United States has for the state of Qatar."
US Air Force Capt. Michele M. Rollins, a spokeswoman with US Central Command, stressed that, "We have great respect for the State of Qatar and its people and the overwhelmingly positive friendship we share with our Qatari partners."
"We hold members of the US military to the highest standards of personal conduct and will take appropriate action," she added.
Qatar is one of the United States’ chief allies in the region. It hosts the US air base Al Udeid, outside the capital city of Doha, which houses roughly 10,000 military personnel. The facility serves a crucial role in the fight against Daesh, also known as IS/Islamic State.
