MSNBC anchor Brian Williams claimed on Thursday that when President Donald Trump fingered the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar as a possible state sponsor of terrorism, he wasn't aware the U.S. has its largest regional military base there.

Trump specifically mentioned Qatar as a military ally that hosts the U.S. Central Command when he spoke to the Arab Islamic American Summit two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia.

NBC News suspended and demoted Williams two years ago for fabricating portions of at least 11 separate news stories. He also lost the 'Nightly News' anchor desk as a result of the scandal.

MSNBC host Brian Williams (left) claimed Thursday, based on on anonymous source, that President Donald Trump wasn't aware the U.S. had military bases in Qatar when he sided against the tiny nation in a regional squabble over support for terrorism

Trump said during a May 21 speech in Saudi Arabia that Qatar 'hosts the U.S. Central Command' and 'is a crucial strategic partner' – and a National Security Council official now says he's heard the president discussing Qatar-based U.S. forces with foreign leaders

A National Security Council official told DailyMail.com on Thursday that Williams' report is wrong.

'It's false,' the official said, noting that he has been in the room when Trump spoke to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar.

'I was in the room and heard the whole thing. They discussed the bases and the welfare of US troops,' the official said of one call, adding that the president had also discussed America's Qatar-based military installations with at least one leader of the United Arab Emirates.

Al Udeid Air Base is a gigantic U.S. facility in Qatar that hosts about 10,000 U.S. military personnel. The U.S. Combined Air Operations Center is based there, commanding U.S. and allied air force operations over Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

In addition, the nearby As Sayliyah Army Base is used largely as a warehouse and pre-positioning facility for war matériel on its way to Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Trump tweeted about the effort to isolate Qatar on Tuesday, setting off concerns about fragile alliances in the region as Saudi Arabia and other nations cut off diplomatic ties

This aerial view shows just one area of the sprawling Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a section known as 'Ops Town'

United States Army troops walk across a compound filled with weapons warehouses at As Sayliyah military base in Qatar

Despite the presence of those bases near Doha, Qatar's capital, Trump sided with Saudi Arabia on Twitter this week and took credit for a bloc of four Arab nations staking out 'hard line' positions against the Qataris for funding terror groups and siding with arch-enemy Iran.

Qatar does have strong relations with Iran, which backs Hezbollah and other terror groups. The tiny nation supports rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar-al Assad, and has backed the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas.

'During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!' Trump tweeted Tuesday.

'So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!' Trump added.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain announced on Monday that they had cut all diplomatic ties and closed air, sea and land links with Qatar. The four nations also pulled their ambassadors out of Doha, ejected Qatar's diplomats and gave Qatari nations two weeks to leave.

Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became close during the Arabic Islamic American Summit in Riyadh last month

Williams, the NBC News veteran who appeared Thursday with co-anchor Nicolle Wallace (right), was suspended from his job for sic months in 2015 for fabricating parts of at least 11 news stories

Williams on Thursday painted Trump as a bumbling stumbler who waded into a global crisis without understanding America's national interests.

'I would love to know what the president's dealing with the situation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia was today,' he said Thursday alongside co-anchor Nicolle Wallace, 'because he almost set the region on fire on Twitter.'

'A person familiar with his thinking told us both yesterday they're not sure the president knew there were Americans stationed in Qatar.'

Williams did not say who that person was, if he or she works in the White House, or how close his source is to Trump.

Wallace cautioned that the president was not likely to blame for Qatar's sudden pariah status in the Persian Gulf region, but suggested that Commander-in-Chief Trump isn't up to speed on where his military assets are.

'I don't have any reason to suspect that he is the cause of what's happening in Qatar,' she said, 'but I think it is fair to say that if there is a crisis, this would be the first time he was briefed on exactly where our bases are in the region.'

Trump and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani took part in a bilateral meeting in Riyadh on May 21 but Trump later criticized his nation for supporting terrorism

During his Riyadh speech on May 20, Trump mentioned a number of regional alliances that he hoped to draw on to fight terrorists globally.

'Every country in the region has an absolute duty to ensure that terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil,' he said, noting that 'many are already making significant contributions to regional security.'

After describing anti-ISIS help from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, Trump declared: 'Qatar, which hosts the U.S. Central Command, is a crucial strategic partner.'

The NBC News channel on YouTube features a complete video of the speech.

Williams, at one point considered the future of NBC News, saw his career nearly end after his false reporting and lies came to light.

'I said things that weren't true,' he admitted to 'Today' show co-host Matt Lauer in June 2015. 'I own this, I own up to this.'

'This was clearly ego driven, the desire to better my role in a story,' he said then.

Williams had previously been the most-watched nightly news anchor and signed a lucrative five-year contract reportedly worth about $50 million.

The spectacular crash of his fortunes earned him the nickname 'Lyin' Brian' in some corners of the Internet and the news business.