Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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REUTERS
The United Arab Emirates denied that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had visited the Gulf country, shortly after Israel said he made a “secret visit” to the UAE.
“The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli prime minister’s office earlier said on X that Netanyahu met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed at some stage after the war erupted in late February.
The visit, supposedly Netanyahu’s first known visit to the UAE, “led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” the office said.
The UAE also denied receiving any Israeli military delegation.
The war with Iran, now in a fragile ceasefire, has upended Middle Eastern geopolitics, with the increased military and intelligence collaboration between the UAE and Israel being one of the most significant shifts.
While the UAE and Israel signed the US-backed Abraham Accords in 2020, during President Donald Trump’s first term, relations were strained for years. That was in large part because Abu Dhabi was frustrated with Israel for refusing to work toward Palestinian statehood. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza exacerbated the situation.
Yet since Iran retaliated against US and Israeli strikes by firing thousands of missiles and drones at countries including the UAE, ties have improved. Israel sent Iron Dome air defense batteries to the UAE, along with personnel to operate them, and they coordinated on airstrikes against Iran in early April, Bloomberg reported.
In early May, the UAE president, known as MBZ, and Netanyahu held a rare phone call, underscoring their countries’ deepening relations in the wake of the Iran war.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Published on May 14, 2026
