UAE Denies Netanyahu Secret Visit to Abu Dhabi During US-Israel War on Iran

The United Arab Emirates denied that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made what his office described as a “secret visit” to the Gulf country during the US-Israel war on Iran, after Netanyahu’s office said the trip met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”

“The United Arab Emirates has denied that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made what his office described as a “secret visit” to the Gulf country during the US-Israel war on Iran”

Al Jazeera

In a statement carried by WAM, the UAE said “its relations with Israel are public and were established within the framework of the well-known and publicly declared Abraham Accords,” adding that “These relations are not based on secrecy or clandestine arrangements”.

Al Jazeera

CBS News reported that Netanyahu’s office acknowledged the trip and that sources told CBS News the meeting occurred in late March, while the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the meeting took place.

The dispute unfolded as the US-Israel war on Iran continued, with the UAE and other Arab countries coming under Iranian missile and drone attacks after the US and Israel began bombing Iran in late February, and a fragile ceasefire agreed by Iran and the US in place since April 8.

The UAE denial came after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Israel had deployed Iron Dome air defence batteries and personnel to the UAE to help counter potential Iranian attacks, and CBS News said sources confirmed the UAE received the defense systems.

Al Jazeera reported that the UAE and other Arab countries came under Iranian missile and drone attacks after the US and Israel began bombing Iran in late February, and that cooperation between Israel and the Gulf state appeared to be expanding, particularly on security issues linked to Iran.

Al-Jazeera Net

NBC News said Netanyahu met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” and it noted that the UAE had faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month.

In parallel, Euronews reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened those “colluding with Israel,” writing on X that “Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable,” as the UAE maintained that its relations with Israel are public under the Abraham Accords.

The competing claims over Netanyahu’s alleged wartime trip fed into broader regional friction, with Euronews saying Iran criticized the Abraham Accords and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.

Euronews also tied the moment to other Gulf security developments, saying Kuwait said four men were detained and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island on 1 May, and that Araghchi accused Kuwait of attempting to “sow discord” by detaining four Iranians.

Anadolu Ajansı reported that the Houthis warned on Wednesday of a “war that will burn everyone” if U.S. aggression against Iran is renewed, quoting Abdul Wahid Abu Ras as saying the aggression “casts negative shadows on the global economy and energy prices.”

The same Anadolu Ajansı account described a wider escalation cycle around the war on Iran, saying the United States and Israel began a war on Iran on February 28, Tehran responded with attacks on Israel and what it says are American sites and interests, and Washington began on April 13 to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports including those along the Hormuz Strait.