Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly travelled to the United Arab Emirates over the weekend to ask its leader to deny reports that he had warned the Israeli prime minister about a looming Hamas operation ahead of October 7, 2023.
The meeting between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took place on Sunday, two people who were briefed on the Israeli leader's trip confirmed on Monday.
Israeli TV channels 12 and KAN, as well as the newspapers Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post, reported Netanyahu’s one-day visit to the UAE.
One person familiar with the matter said the talks focused on a report published by the Israeli daily Haaretz earlier this month that said the Emirati leader had delivered a warning to Netanyahu about a looming blitz by Hamas just ahead of October 7 2023, which the Israeli premier did not pass on to the security services.
Netanyahu has denied the story.
Netanyahu asked Sheikh Mohamed to deny the report, according to the person who purported to have first-hand information about the meeting.
The person, along with a regional official briefed on the meeting, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret trip.
The UAE’s foreign ministry declined to comment on reports about the meeting. But it said it maintains “open and direct lines of communication” with Israel and shares “all relevant intelligence.”
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
The reported visit comes with the Middle East still gripped by the Israel-US war launched against Iran in February.
Israel and the UAE formally established diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the US-negotiated Abraham Accords.
