Netanyahu secret visit controversy: UAE says no meeting took place

Jerusalem: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said it “denies reports” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to the country, following claims from Netanyahu’s office that he had met UAE leadership during the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

The clarification came after Netanyahu’s office stated on Wednesday that the Israeli Prime Minister had “paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates” during the war, where he allegedly met UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Claims of meeting during wartime

According to Netanyahu’s office, the visit took place while the conflict with Iran was ongoing, and included a meeting with the UAE President. The statement described the alleged engagement as marking a “historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates”.

The announcement followed comments made a day earlier by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said Israel had sent its Iron Dome air defence systems, along with personnel to operate them, to the UAE during the conflict with Iran.

While Netanyahu’s office did not directly confirm Huckabee’s statement, it suggested that such developments formed part of broader regional cooperation during the conflict period.

UAE responds to “reports”

In its response, the UAE foreign ministry said it rejects claims circulating about an alleged visit by the Israeli Prime Minister, as well as any suggestion that an Israeli military delegation had been received in the country.

“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 ministry said in a statement.

It further stressed that UAE relations with Israel are conducted in an open and official manner, and not through informal or undisclosed arrangements.

“The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and… are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements. Accordingly, any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE,” it added.

Regional tensions and recent developments

Iran was reported to have targeted the UAE more than any other country during the conflict, which followed US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February.

Despite a ceasefire that came into effect last month, the UAE has since reported multiple missile and drone attacks from Iran.

UAE-Israel relations under Abraham Accords

The UAE remains a key ally of the United States in the region and is among the Arab countries that established official ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, signed during the first term of US President Donald Trump in 2020.

Agency inputs