UAE confirms Netanyahu's secret Sunday visit to Abu Dhabi
The UAE on Monday confirmed Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced visit to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, meeting President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. Israeli officials say the six-hour talks focused on Iran; AP reports Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny the disputed Haaretz report about a pre-October 7 warning.
The United Arab Emirates confirmed on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi during an unannounced visit on Sunday, a day after the trip was first reported by Israel’s Channel 12.
The Emirates News Agency, WAM, reported that the two leaders “discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them”. It was Abu Dhabi’s first official confirmation of the visit. Netanyahu’s office said the trip was made at the president’s invitation and “focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges”.
Three senior Israeli officials told Reuters the meeting lasted six hours and focused on Iran. Netanyahu was accompanied by the heads of Mossad and the National Security Council, among other senior aides.
Two people briefed on the trip told the Associated Press that Netanyahu asked the Emirati leader to deny a Haaretz report from 9 September alleging MBZ had warned him of a looming Hamas attack just before 7 October 2023. That request was attributed to people briefed on the meeting, not to an official statement; the UAE Foreign Ministry declined to comment but said the two countries maintain “open and direct lines of communication” and share “all relevant intelligence”.
Netanyahu’s office has denied the Haaretz report, and he has threatened to sue the newspaper, calling the report “fabricated” and “politically motivated”.
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