Netanyahu Makes Secret Abu Dhabi Visit for Hour-Long Meeting With UAE President

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced trip to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for an hour-long meeting with the country’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — a visit both sides publicly confirmed on Monday.

The trip, first reported by Israel’s Channel 12, saw Netanyahu fly into Abu Dhabi on a private jet on Sunday afternoon and return to Israel the same evening. His delegation included senior security figures, among them the head of the Mossad and the head of the National Security Council, according to his office.

Sources familiar with the meeting told CNN that discussion was dominated by Iran, an arena in which Israel and the UAE have deepened security cooperation during the current regional conflict. The UAE’s official WAM news agency said the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them. Netanyahu’s office said the talks focused on “strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges.”

According to the Associated Press, a person with firsthand knowledge of the meeting said Netanyahu asked Sheikh Mohamed to deny a recent Haaretz report alleging the Emirati leader had warned him of a looming Hamas attack just days before October 7, 2023. Netanyahu’s office has rejected that report as fabricated and threatened to sue the newspaper.

The rare visit comes exactly one month before Israel’s October 27 election, with accountability for the failure to prevent the October 7 attacks now a central campaign issue.

Sources

• CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/28/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-secret-visit-uae-intl?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_meta
• Associated Press: https://www.ktsa.com/netanyahu-meets-emirati-leader-in-a-secret-weekend-trip-to-abu-dhabi-and-other-mideast-developments/
• Reuters (via C14 News): https://www.c14news.com/article/1505868