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Office Reveals Netanyahu Made Secret UAE Visit During Iran War
(MENAFN) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted a clandestine visit to the United Arab Emirates at the height of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, his office disclosed Wednesday — a revelation that coincides with confirmed reports of Israeli air defense systems being deployed to Emirati soil.
Netanyahu held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during the undisclosed visit, which took place at an unspecified point during the conflict, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office. The trip, it added, "led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates."
No further details were provided regarding the nature of that "breakthrough." However, the military dimension of the visit appeared unmistakable: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed this week that Israel had dispatched "Iron Dome batteries and personnel" to the Emirates in recent weeks — strongly suggesting that defense cooperation formed a central pillar of the discussions.
The Emirati Foreign Ministry flatly denied that any undeclared Israeli visit had taken place, insisting that the country's ties with Israel are "not based on secrecy or covert arrangements."
The full scope of covert Emirati involvement in the conflict was laid out this week by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that the UAE had secretly executed a series of strikes against Iranian military sites and infrastructure throughout the war — among them an attack on a refinery on Iran's Lavan Island in early April, timed to coincide with President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire and the opening of negotiations with Tehran. Those strikes were reportedly coordinated with Israel and preceded by multiple undisclosed visits to the UAE by Mossad Director David Barnea. Neither Barnea's visits nor the strikes have been acknowledged by Abu Dhabi.
The disclosures deepen questions around the UAE's public posture toward the conflict. In January, the Emirati Foreign Ministry declared that it would not permit American or Israeli forces to use its airspace to conduct attacks on Iran. Yet Tehran alleged that U.S. aircraft that struck an elementary school in Minab on the opening day of the war — killing more than 160 schoolgirls — had launched from Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi. Iranian forces retaliated by targeting Al Dhafra directly, as well as U.S. infrastructure at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
In the weeks that followed, Iran unleashed a barrage of more than 2,000 missiles and drones against targets across the UAE, with Tehran explicitly accusing the Emirates of colluding with "hostile parties" in the prosecution of the war.
With a fragile ceasefire now precariously in place, the UAE last week accused Iran of striking its territory — an attack that set an oil facility in Fujairah ablaze and left three people wounded. Washington has notably withheld any condemnation of the strike, a calculated silence widely interpreted as an effort to preserve the tenuous truce.
Netanyahu held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during the undisclosed visit, which took place at an unspecified point during the conflict, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office. The trip, it added, "led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates."
No further details were provided regarding the nature of that "breakthrough." However, the military dimension of the visit appeared unmistakable: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed this week that Israel had dispatched "Iron Dome batteries and personnel" to the Emirates in recent weeks — strongly suggesting that defense cooperation formed a central pillar of the discussions.
The Emirati Foreign Ministry flatly denied that any undeclared Israeli visit had taken place, insisting that the country's ties with Israel are "not based on secrecy or covert arrangements."
The full scope of covert Emirati involvement in the conflict was laid out this week by the Wall Street Journal, which reported that the UAE had secretly executed a series of strikes against Iranian military sites and infrastructure throughout the war — among them an attack on a refinery on Iran's Lavan Island in early April, timed to coincide with President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire and the opening of negotiations with Tehran. Those strikes were reportedly coordinated with Israel and preceded by multiple undisclosed visits to the UAE by Mossad Director David Barnea. Neither Barnea's visits nor the strikes have been acknowledged by Abu Dhabi.
The disclosures deepen questions around the UAE's public posture toward the conflict. In January, the Emirati Foreign Ministry declared that it would not permit American or Israeli forces to use its airspace to conduct attacks on Iran. Yet Tehran alleged that U.S. aircraft that struck an elementary school in Minab on the opening day of the war — killing more than 160 schoolgirls — had launched from Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi. Iranian forces retaliated by targeting Al Dhafra directly, as well as U.S. infrastructure at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
In the weeks that followed, Iran unleashed a barrage of more than 2,000 missiles and drones against targets across the UAE, with Tehran explicitly accusing the Emirates of colluding with "hostile parties" in the prosecution of the war.
With a fragile ceasefire now precariously in place, the UAE last week accused Iran of striking its territory — an attack that set an oil facility in Fujairah ablaze and left three people wounded. Washington has notably withheld any condemnation of the strike, a calculated silence widely interpreted as an effort to preserve the tenuous truce.
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