Netanyahu Says He Secretly Visited UAE at Height of Iran War, UAE Denies It

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the height of the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement released on Wednesday.

“The visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE,” the office claimed, after stating that Netanyahu had met with the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE denied the visit in a statement just hours later. It asserted that its relationship with Israel is “not based on secrecy or clandestine arrangements,” and thus “any claims regarding undisclosed visits or arrangements are baseless unless issued by the relevant official authorities in the UAE.”

The UAE normalized relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords in 2020, and was the first state to sign on to the normalization agreement, which established formal diplomatic ties as well as economic cooperation between Israel and the Gulf country. Throughout Trump’s time in office, he has pursued adding Saudi Arabia to the agreement, but has not been able to secure their inclusion in the accords.

Cooperation between the UAE and Israel has deepened over the past five years, since the UAE signed on to the Abraham Accords, and in particular through the course of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Since the Abraham Accords, the UAE has expanded trade with Israel, collaborated on AI and cybersecurity, and even become a tourist destination for Israeli travelers after the launch of direct flights between the countries in 2022.

Throughout the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, the UAE — which also has military bases that it shares with the U.S. — sustained significant attacks by Iran. As a result, the UAE seems to have doubled down on its relationship with the U.S. and Israel. In May, Netanyahu called UAE’s bin Zayed to express his solidarity after reported Iranian missile and drone attacks. Last week, it was reported that the Israeli military deployed its Iron Dome defense system in the UAE to help it fend off Iranian missile attacks — which would be the first time the system has been used outside of Israeli territory.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia also both reportedly carried out attacks on Iran during the war.

On Tuesday in Tel Aviv, ambassador Mike Huckabee praised the UAE’s relationship with Israel. “Can I say a word of appreciation for the United Arab Emirates?” he said. “They were the first Abraham Accords member.”

“Look at the benefits,” he continued. “Israel just sent them Iron Dome batteries and personnel to help operate them. How come? Because there’s an extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel.” He went on to praise the UAE for not wavering in its support for Israel even after October 7.

While the UAE has worked to strengthen its relationship with the U.S. and Israel, the population of the wider region remains staunchly supportive of Palestine and firmly rejects the U.S. and Israel over their genocide in Gaza. This likely explains the UAE’s denial of Netanyahu’s meeting, as well as the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s undisclosed attacks on Iran.