DUBHAI – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday and met United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the international media reported while citing Israeli official on Monday.
The reported meeting has not been officially confirmed by either side. Netanyahu’s office and the UAE Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on the visit.
The reported trip comes amid renewed attention to an alleged warning by Sheikh Mohammed to Netanyahu ahead of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
According to the recent reports based on an investigation by Israeli media, the UAE president contacted Netanyahu around 10 days before the October 7 attack and warned him that Hamas was preparing a major operation. The reports said Sheikh Mohammed had received information indicating that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a significant attack that could cause widespread bloodshed and destabilise the region.
Other reports have said the UAE intelligence service had also shared information with Israel’s Shin Bet before the attack, which was followed by a phone call between Sheikh Mohammed and Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has denied the allegations, describing the report that Sheikh Mohammed personally warned him before the attack as false, and has threatened legal action against the newspaper that published the claims.
The October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack killed around 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in more than 250 people being taken hostage, according to widely reported figures.
The latest reported Netanyahu-Sheikh Mohammed meeting also follows a similar episode earlier this year.
In May, Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli premier had secretly visited the UAE and met Sheikh Mohammed.
The UAE subsequently denied that the meeting had taken place, although a source familiar with the matter later told Reuters that the two leaders had met in Al Ain on March 26.
The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations under the 2020 Abraham Accords and have maintained communication on regional security and other issues since then.
