Israeli media outlets, including Channel 12 and KAN, reported that Netanyahu travelled to the UAE on Sunday, September 27, aboard a private aircraft and spent several hours in Abu Dhabi. A senior Israeli official later confirmed to Reuters that Netanyahu visited Abu Dhabi and met Sheikh Mohamed.
The visit was not publicly announced by Netanyahu’s office, while neither the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office nor the UAE Foreign Ministry immediately issued an official comment on the reported meeting.
According to Israeli reports, Netanyahu’s aircraft landed in Abu Dhabi at about 3:10 p.m. local time and departed roughly four hours later. The Times of Israel also reported that Channel 12 cited two sources confirming the meeting between the two leaders.
The reported meeting comes at a sensitive moment in Israel-UAE relations and amid renewed attention over claims that Sheikh Mohamed had warned Netanyahu about a planned Hamas operation approximately a week and a half before the October 7, 2023 attack.
Haaretz previously reported that the warning was not passed on to Israeli intelligence agencies or the military. Netanyahu has rejected the report and threatened legal action against the newspaper. The UAE has not publicly confirmed the alleged warning.
The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. The two countries have maintained diplomatic and security contacts despite tensions surrounding the wider Middle East conflict.
The specific issues discussed during Netanyahu’s latest meeting with Sheikh Mohamed have not been publicly disclosed. The lack of an official statement from either government means details about the purpose and outcome of the visit remain limited.
The meeting nevertheless marks another reported high-level contact between the Israeli and Emirati leadership as both countries navigate a rapidly changing regional security environment.
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