By Mansour Al-Maswari
Key Takeaways:
- Israel’s Channel 12, citing unnamed sources, said Prime Minister Netanyahu flew privately to Abu Dhabi on Sunday for a day trip with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed; neither government had confirmed that visit in the article.
- In May, Netanyahu’s office claimed a secret March 26 Al Ain meeting during “Operation Roaring Lion,” talks on Iran strikes, and Iron Dome in the UAE (Huckabee cited); WAM quoted the UAE denying any such visit or military delegation.
- Ties remain framed as Abraham Accords (2020) plus trade, tech, and security; reporting also revisits alleged pre–Oct. 7 UAE warnings. Treat travel and denial as competing official/media claims until both sides publish matching statements.
(Albawaba) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for a private meeting with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), Israel’s Channel 12 reported, citing sources familiar with the trip.
Netanyahu reportedly traveled to Abu Dhabi on a private plane, remained in the UAE throughout the day and later returned to Israel. The reported meeting comes amid renewed attention to the discreet security relationship between Israel and the UAE and recent revelations concerning warnings Abu Dhabi allegedly gave Israel ahead of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack.
The reported visit also follows an earlier, disputed account of a secret Netanyahu trip to the UAE during the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran earlier in 2026.
On May 13, Netanyahu’s office publicly announced that the Israeli prime minister had secretly visited the UAE during what Israel called “Operation Roaring Lion” and had met with MBZ. The announcement described the meeting as producing a “historic breakthrough” in Israeli-Emirati relations.
According to Israeli media reports, the May meeting took place on March 26 in Al Ain, near the UAE’s border with Oman, and lasted several hours. The discussions reportedly focused on regional security coordination amid Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf states.
Israeli reports said the visit was conducted under strict secrecy, with only a small circle aware of the trip. One source claimed that MBZ personally drove Netanyahu from the aircraft to the palace, while former Netanyahu aide Ziv Agmon said he accompanied the prime minister and that Netanyahu received “royal honors.”
The reported meeting coincided with intensified Israeli-Emirati security cooperation. Israeli intelligence chiefs, including Mossad Director David Barnea, reportedly made several visits to the UAE, while Israeli Iron Dome air-defense systems and personnel were deployed to the country amid Iranian attacks. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also publicly confirmed the deployment at the time.
The UAE, however, promptly denied that Netanyahu had visited the country or that an Israeli military delegation had been received. In a statement carried by the official WAM news agency, the UAE Foreign Ministry said it “denies reports circulating regarding an alleged visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UAE, or receiving any Israeli military delegation in the country.”
The ministry said UAE-Israel relations were public and conducted under the Abraham Accords, adding that they were not based on “non-transparent or unofficial arrangements.” It described reports of unannounced visits as unfounded unless officially confirmed by UAE authorities.
The two countries established diplomatic relations under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, with cooperation subsequently expanding into trade, technology, tourism, defense and security.
