Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran and met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, popularly known by his initials MBZ, the Prime Minister’s Office said Wednesday.
The office said the visit led to “a historic breakthrough” in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. No further details were immediately provided. The UAE foreign ministry later denied the report, adding that any claims regarding unannounced visits are 'baseless.'
"The UAE denies the reports circulating regarding the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the country, or the reception of any Israeli military delegation on its territory. The country emphasizes that its relations with Israel are open relations, which were created within the framework of the 'Abraham Accords,' and are not based on secrecy or hidden arrangements. Therefore, any claim about undeclared visits or arrangements has no basis, unless they have been published by the authorized official bodies in the UAE," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.
1 View gallery
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: AP, Shalev Shalom)
A source familiar with the meeting, cited by Reuters, said it took place March 26 and lasted several hours. The meeting was held in Al Ain, a city near the UAE’s border with Oman, about 250 kilometers, or 150 miles, from Iran’s coast. That same day, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike.
Netanyahu previously visited the UAE secretly in 2018, before the signing of the Abraham Accords, and also met with MBZ in a third country. This is the first time the prime minister has publicly disclosed a visit and meeting with the UAE leader. Netanyahu had previously sought to make a public visit to the Gulf state, but the trip was postponed.
Relations between Israel and the UAE have since improved and reached new highs. “The Emiratis understand who the only country is that stands by them in times of trouble,” an Israeli official said. “That is why there has been a series of visits by Netanyahu, Barnea, Zini and other officials.”
Earlier Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mossad chief David Barnea also visited the UAE during the war to help coordinate military operations. Two officials and another person familiar with the matter told the newspaper that Barnea visited the Emirates at least twice for war-related coordination. Shin Bet chief David Zini also visited the country during the ceasefire.
The Journal described the visits as a sign of the tightening partnership between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi. The sources said Barnea made secret visits to the Gulf state on at least two separate occasions, in March and April.
According to the report, the two countries maintained close security coordination throughout the war. U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee confirmed that Israel sent Iron Dome batteries and dozens of military personnel to the UAE to operate them and defend the country from Iranian attacks.
The UAE itself also struck targets in Iran during the war, according to reports, including a refinery.
The Journal reported earlier this week that the UAE launched military strikes in Iran that it did not publicly acknowledge. The strikes included an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in early April, around the time U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire. The attack sparked a large fire and disabled a significant part of the facility’s production capacity.
First published: 20:07, 05.13.26