Illustrative image. (Israeli Prime Minister Office)
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates secretly during the American-Israeli war on Iran, the primer’s office announced on May 13, with Abu Dhabi later denying, and the Islamic Republic responding with a threat.
In a statement, the office said that Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during the secret visit.
“This visit led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” the statement reads. .
Earlier this week, senior U.S. officials confirmed that Israel sent an Iron Dome air defense system and troops to operate it to the UAE during the war with Iran. An earlier report said that an Iron Beam laser and surveillance systems were also sent to the Gulf state.
In addition, chief of the Israeli Mossad spy agency David Barnea visited the UAE at least twice during the war with Iran to coordinate on the conflict, Arab officials and a source familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal recently.
The two countries, which normalized ties in 2020, also reportedly coordinated an attack on a major Iranian petrochemical site.
The Israeli announcement was met with a quick response from the UAE, with the Emirate Foreign Ministry calling it “entirely unfounded.”
“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,” it said in a statement.
“Accordingly, any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE,” the ministry continued.
“The UAE calls on media outlets to exercise accuracy and professionalism, and to refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives,” it added.
Still, Netanyahu’s then-spokesman insisted that the visit indeed took place, and even provided more details in a post to Facebook.
“As someone who knows the United Arab Emirates well and has lived there for long periods of time, and as someone who accompanied the prime minister on the historic trip that has been top secret until today, I can say that the prime minister was received in Abu Dhabi with the honor of kings,” wrote Ziv Agmon on the social network.
“Sheikh [Mohamed] bin Zayed, his family members, and other dignitaries welcomed us and were happy to see the prime minister of Israel on their soil,” he continued.
“The sheikh greatly respected the prime minister and personally drove the prime minister in his personal car from the plane to the palace,” added Agmon.
“The things the prime minister concluded during this amazing visit will be talked about for generations to come. A great success!” he concluded.
In an apparent response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned of efforts by regional actors to cooperate with Israel against the Islamic Republic, saying those involved “will be held to account.”
“Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iran’s security services long ago conveyed to our leadership,” Araghchi wrote on X, without specifying which remarks by the Israeli prime minister he was referring to.
“Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble. Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable,” he added.
Araghchi also warned that “those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account,” most likely referring to the UAE.
Netanyahu clearly didn’t coordinate with the UAE before announcing the visit, and he likely did so on purpose to inflame tensions between Tehran and Abu Dhabi.
Israel and the United States had some notable success in dragging Gulf states into their war on Iran. In addition to the UAE, recent reports revealed that both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were directly involved, launching strikes against Iran or its allies in Iraq. If war resumes, these states will likely play an even larger role.
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