Netanyahu says he secretly visited UAE during Iran war, hails ‘historic breakthrough’

Source says PM’s meeting with Emirati president took place on March 26 in a city close to the Oman border, though Abu Dhabi denies premier made covert trip: ‘Entirely unfounded’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he made a secretive visit to the United Arab Emirates and met with its leader, President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, during the US-Israeli war with Iran earlier this year.

The meeting resulted in a “historic breakthrough” in relations between Israel and Abu Dhabi, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. The UAE however denied that Netanyahu visited, calling the statement from his office “entirely unfounded.”

The announcement underscored the increased cooperation between the two countries during the war, after reports on Wednesday said that the heads of Israel’s two main intelligence agencies had also made secret trips to the Gulf state to help it shore up its defensive and offensive capabilities in the face of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

A source familiar with the details said Netanyahu and bin Zayed met in Al-Ain, in an oasis city by the Oman border, on March 26, and that their meeting lasted several hours.

“The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements,” the Emirati foreign ministry later said in response. “Accordingly, any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE.”

“The UAE calls on media outlets to exercise accuracy and professionalism, and to refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives,” it added.

Responding to the UAE’s denial, Netanyahu’s then-spokesman insisted his former boss’s account was true.

“As someone who knows the United Arab Emirates well and has lived there for long periods of time, and as someone who accompanied the prime minister on the historic trip that has been top secret until today, I can say that the prime minister was received in Abu Dhabi with the honor of kings,” wrote Ziv Agmon on Facebook.

“Sheikh [Mohamed] bin Zayed, his family members, and other dignitaries welcomed us and were happy to see the prime minister of Israel on their soil,” he continued. ““The sheikh greatly respected the prime minister and personally drove the prime minister in his personal car from the plane to the palace.”

“The things the prime minister concluded during this amazing visit will be talked about for generations to come. A great success!”

Iran meanwhile threatened the UAE as it said it knew of Netanyahu’s ostensible visit to Abu Dhabi.

“Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iran’s security services long ago conveyed to our leadership,” wrote Abbas Araghchi on X, without explaining why Iran didn’t go public weeks ago with the intelligence he claimed it had.

“Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble,” continued Araghchi. “Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable.”

“Those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account.”

The trip would be the first that Netanyahu has made to the UAE since normalizing relations with Abu Dhabi in the 2020 Abraham Accords, as previous hoped-for visits failed to materialize.

His office had initially announced a trip to Abu Dhabi days after he began his sixth term as prime minister in December 2022, but it was cancelled by the UAE amid anger over National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the flashpoint Temple Mount.

At the time, a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that the decision to put the visit on hold was also partially due to fears that Netanyahu would use the opportunity to publicly threaten Iran while on Emirati soil.

The UAE had, at the time, been trying to ease tensions and improve relations with Tehran — efforts that appeared to have little impact when, on February 28, Iran started raining missiles and drones down on the country in response to the joint US-Israeli offensive.

Netanyahu was then invited, along with President Isaac Herzog, to attend the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in November 2023. He did not end up going, however, due to the outbreak of war in Gaza a month prior, following the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.

Following the signing of the Abraham Accords in August 2020, unconfirmed reports alleged that Netanyahu had secretly visited the Gulf state in 2018, although the Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the matter at the time.

Although Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi have been working to increase security and economic cooperation in the years since the Abraham Accords, these efforts have strengthened dramatically since the outbreak of the war with Iran.

Among other things, reports have indicated that the two countries worked together on coordinated attacks on Iran intelligence sharing, detection and interception of Iranian missiles and drones, and selecting Iranian targets.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Mossad director David Barnea had made at least two visits to the Gulf state during the war to coordinate military actions.

Separately, David Zini, the head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, was reported by the Kan public broadcaster to have visited the UAE for the purpose of increasing coordination between the two countries’ respective intelligence and security agencies.

And earlier this week, senior US officials confirmed previous reports that Israel had also sent an Iron Dome battery to the UAE, along with soldiers to operate it.

The UAE has sustained heavy Iranian attacks throughout the war, and has continued to come under attack several times since a ceasefire took effect on April 8.

In total, Tehran fired some 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the country, according to the Emirati defense ministry, making it the most-targeted country in the region, including Israel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.