Netanyahu's boast of secret visit to UAE sparks awkward denial from Abu Dhabi

“Netanyahu's boast of secret visit to UAE sparks awkward denial from Abu Dhabi Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Thu, 05/14/2026 - 12:50 Israeli prime minister's office says he met secretly with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. The revelation shows deepening relations amid war with Iran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference amid the war on Iran, in Jerusalem, 19 March 2026 (Reuters) Off Israel and the United Arab Emirates released conflicting statements on Wednesday night about a “secret” meeting that took place weeks into the war on Iran between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The disagreement has put the alliance between the two countries under the spotlight, as the Iranian foreign minister also accused the UAE on Thursday of being "directly involved" in the war on Iran. Initially, the Israeli prime minister’s office put out a statement saying that “in the midst of Operation Roaring Lion”, the codename for Israel’s military operation against Iran, Netanyahu “secretly visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed”. “This visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE,” Netanyahu’s office said. Shortly afterwards, though, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a flat denial. “The United Arab Emirates 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 Emirati ministry said in a statement. “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,” it said. “Accordingly, any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE.” Despite news of the meeting having come directly from Netanyahu’s office, the UAE continued its statement by calling on “media outlets to exercise accuracy and professionalism, and to refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives”. Israeli and Arab sources told Middle East Eye the meeting between Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Zayed had taken place on 26 March in Al-Ain, an oasis city on the Oman border. Prime Minister's Office Statement: In the midst of Operation Roaring Lion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. — Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 13, 2026 On 27 March, the day after the meeting, Avi Scharf, the open-source intelligence and national security editor of Haaretz, posted on social media that “two Israeli bizjets sometimes used for special VVIP flights” had landed in Al-Ain and flown back to Israel four hours later, on the evening of 26 March. Further flight tracking confirmed that two business jets had flown from Tel Aviv to Al-Ain, departing the Israeli city in the afternoon and returning that night. الإمارات تنفي ما يتم تداوله بشأن زيارة رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي أو استقبال وفد عسكري إسرائيلي pic.twitter.com/rl5XSzX2RG — MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) May 13, 2026 According to Basha Report Risk Advisory , “one of the aircraft was a Bombardier Global Express XRS (GLEX), registered in the Isle of Man, serial number 9394. The second aircraft was identified as a Bombardier Global 6000 business jet.” Mohammed bin Zayed reportedly "personally drove" Netanyahu "in his personal car from the plane to the palace". Mossad chief David Barnea also visited the UAE at least twice during the war on Iran “for the purpose of coordination about the war”, the Wall Street Journal reported . Middle East Eye contacted the UAE’s foreign ministry asking for further clarification on its denial of the meeting but received no response. UAE-Israel relations The UAE was the first Gulf state to sign the Abraham Accords with Israel in 2020 and shares many joint military and intelligence projects with Israel and the US. The UAE and Israel have an intelligence-sharing platform known as Crystal Ball, whereby they “design, deploy and enable regional intelligence enhancement” in partnership, according to a slide show designed to promote the pact. 'Since the first days of March, the UAE has sustained greater harm from Iran’s bombing campaign than Israel has, and Israel was aware of this asymmetry going in' - Jalel Harchaoui, analyst Even before relations were normalised, the UAE-Israel relationship was well developed. Israeli military and intelligence officers helped the UAE build a ring of bases around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, visiting far flung islands before relations were normalised. “The relationship between the UAE and Israel was very developed even before formal diplomatic relations were established, but it was kept quiet. Not secret, just quiet,” Alon Pinkas, an Israeli diplomat who served as an adviser to four foreign ministers, told MEE. Pinkas said that “assuming Netanyahu will be out of office by the end of 2026”, he didn’t think the argument over whether a meeting took place would impact relations between Israel and the UAE too badly. But he said that the war on Iran had “certainly damaged relations because Israel is perceived as a belligerent force for destabilisation”. US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have acknowledged that Israel wanted to launch the war on Iran, which has ended up damaging the UAE and other Gulf states. “As far as the UAE is concerned, Israel may be – directly or indirectly – responsible for undermining their entire business model of stable financial and AI hubs,” Pinkas said. War on Iran Since it began at the end of February, the war has bound the UAE and Israel even closer together, while also straining relations. According to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israel sent Iron Dome batteries and personnel to operate the air defence system to the UAE as it was being targeted by Iranian missiles. Responding to US and Israeli attacks, Iran has struck the Gulf, most particularly the UAE, which Tehran sees as being closer to Israel and the US than any of its neighbours. Exclusive: UAE flights linked to Sudan war tracked from Israel to Ethiopia Read More » The UAE has a pipeline that allows it to divert some oil exports around the Strait of Hormuz, but its tourism industry is suffering from the war and capital is being withdrawn from the financial hubs of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the UAE of being “directly involved” in the war on his country. Speaking at the Brics meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, Araghchi said: “I didn't name the UAE in my statement for the sake of unity. But the truth is that the UAE was directly involved in the aggression against my country. When the attacks started, they didn't even issue a condemnation.” Jalel Harchaoui, an analyst focusing on regional political economy, told MEE that despite the conflict between Israeli and Emirati statements over the meeting, relations between the two countries would most likely continue to deepen. “Since the first days of March, the UAE has sustained greater harm from Iran’s bombing campaign than Israel has, and Israel was aware of this asymmetry going in,” Harchaoui said. “Despite this, the UAE is very likely to continue pursuing the Abraham Accords rationale it introduced in August 2020. The heavier damage incurred by the UAE since the onset of the new US-Israeli war on Iran will not alter that course. In fact, the UAE will be doubling down.” Diplomacy News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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