The United Arab Emirates on Monday confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the country and met President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, following reports by Israeli media about the unannounced trip.
The UAE’s official news agency WAM said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop ties between the two countries.
The United Arab Emirates on Monday confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the country and met President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, following Israeli media reports about the unannounced trip.
The UAE’s official news agency, WAM, said the two leaders “discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them”.
Shortly
after the UAE’s confirmation, Israel also confirmed that Netanyahu had visited the UAE the previous day, saying he discussed regional issues as US-backed diplomacy over Iran continues.
“The visit focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on X, after the UAE also confirmed Sunday’s talks.
The confirmation from both sides came a day after Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had made a one-day visit to the UAE. Israeli outlets Channel 12, KAN, Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post reported that he met Mohamed bin Zayed.
Visit Comes Amid Oct 7 Warning Report
The trip comes as the region remains affected by the ongoing Israel-US war against Iran. It also follows a bombshell Israeli media report that the Emirati president had warned Netanyahu 10 days before Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The report claimed Netanyahu did not pass the warning to Israeli security officials.
Netanyahu has denied the report.
On Sunday, Israeli media that Netanyahu visited the UAE to meet Mohamed bin Zayed and seek a response to the claims surrounding the alleged warning.
Reports also alleged that Netanyahu asked the UAE president to deny claims that he had issued a warning before the October 7 attack.
The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, which opened the way for closer political, economic and security ties between the two countries.
Netanyahu Office Files Complaint
Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister’s office said the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, had filed a complaint against Channel 12 over its report on Netanyahu’s visit.
The office accused the channel of violating military censorship rules and said the report had put the prime minister, his wife and members of the delegation at risk.
The delegation reportedly included Mossad chief David Barnea and other senior security officials.
Netanyahu’s office said the visit became public while his aircraft was still outside Israeli airspace. It also said the Mossad had backed the complaint.
(With inputs from agencies)
