A group of hackers calling itself ‘Global Leaks’ released the first in a series of emails taken from the Hotmail inbox of the UAE's ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al Otaiba, yesterday.

The hacked emails have revealed an anti Qatar campaign to downgrade the image and importance of the country, reported The Peninsula.

The leaks ‘reveal how millions of dollars were used to hurt the reputation of American allies and cause policy changes.’

The Intercept reported that the emails show a close relationship between Al Otaiba and a pro-Israel, neoconservative think tank — the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

The hackers used a .ru email address, associated with Russia, and tied themselves to DCLeaks, a website that previously released Democratic emails.

The hacked emails, some of which date back to 2014, reveal a high-level of backchannel cooperation between the FDD, which is funded by pro-Israel billionaire Sheldon Anderson, and the Gulf country, reported Qatar Tribune.

They also appear to show a clear collaboration between the FDD and the UAE on a campaign to downgrade the image and importance of Qatar as a regional and global power, and collusion with journalists who have published articles accusing Qatar and Kuwait of supporting ‘terrorism.’

Ziad Jilani, one of the authors of The Intercept report, told Al Jazeera the emails support previous allegations ‘that there is a growing axis between some of the Gulf countries, like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and Israel.’

Otaiba is a well-known figure in US national security circles and has participated in Pentagon strategy meetings at the invitation of the defence officials.

The release of the leaked emails comes a week after a cyberattack on Qatar's official news agency, during which fake remarks critical of US foreign policy were posted and attributed to the Qatari Emir. Sleuths from American security agency FBI have been helping Qatar investigate the hack. 

The recent email leak includes an exchange in which FDD senior counselor John Hannah — a former deputy national security advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney — complains to Otaiba that Qatar is hosting a meeting of Hamas at an Emirati-owned hotel.

Otaiba responds that the UAE is not at fault and that the real problem lies with the US military base in Qatar.

He writes: “How's this, you move the base then we'll move the  hotel :-)”

The leak also includes a proposed agenda for an upcoming meeting between the FDD and the UAE government scheduled for June 11-14.

The agenda includes in-depth discussions specifically on Qatar, including Qatar-based Al Jazeera, and its links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

One item on the agenda is: ‘Al Jazeera as an instrument of regional instability.’

Attendees set to take part in the June meeting include former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD.