UAE Confirms Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's Meeting with President Mohamed bin Zayed

The United Arab Emirates announced on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi over the weekend. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel, according to the Emirates News Agency.

The visit, which took place a month before Israel's scheduled Knesset elections, follows reports that Bin Zayed warned Netanyahu of a potential large-scale Hamas operation shortly before the Oct. 7 attacks. Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the UAE president had spoken to Netanyahu about ten days before the assault, relaying a threat from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The report also noted that Bin Zayed had alerted Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency.

Netanyahu’s office denied receiving any prior warning and announced plans to sue Haaretz, describing the story as fabricated and politically motivated. Shin Bet later filed a complaint with Israel’s military censor, saying the coverage endangered the prime minister and exposed intelligence methods.

Relations between Israel and the UAE have deepened since the 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized ties between Israel and several Arab states. In May, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said Israel had deployed Iron Dome batteries to the UAE to help deter possible Iranian attacks.