Netanyahu's Office Confirms Secret Visit to UAE During Iran War
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates and met with President Mohammed bin Zayed during the Iran war, his office confirmed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed Wednesday that he made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates during the Iran war, meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Israeli leader's office described the visit as resulting in "a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates." No further details were provided about the specific outcomes or agreements reached during the meeting.
The announcement came one day after U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defense weapons to the UAE, along with personnel to operate the systems. The timing suggests the weapons transfer may have been connected to Netanyahu's diplomatic visit.
The UAE government has not yet commented on the reported visit by the Israeli prime minister. The secrecy surrounding the trip reflects the sensitive nature of regional diplomacy during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Israel and the UAE normalized relations in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, but military cooperation of this scale would represent a significant deepening of their security partnership amid regional tensions.