International
oi-Prakash KL
The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday rejected claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that he had held a “secret meeting” with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
In a statement carried by the UAE’s state news agency WAM, the Gulf nation dismissed reports of undisclosed diplomatic engagements with Israel, asserting that bilateral ties between the two countries are conducted openly under the framework of the Abraham Accords.
The United Arab Emirates denied reports of a secret meeting between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, stating its diplomatic ties with Israel are public and established under the Abraham Accords, not clandestine arrangements.
“The UAE’s relations with Israel are public and were established within the framework of the well-known and publicly declared Abraham Accords,” the statement said. “These relations are not based on secrecy or clandestine arrangements.”
The statement further stressed that any reports regarding secret visits or unofficial arrangements were “baseless unless issued by the relevant official authorities in the UAE.”
The UAE’s response came hours after Netanyahu’s office announced on social media that the Israeli leader had travelled to the Emirates for a confidential meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed amid the ongoing military confrontation with Iran. However, the statement did not specify when the alleged visit took place.
“In the midst of Operation Roaring Lion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed,” Netanyahu’s office said.
The Israeli statement described the purported meeting as “a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” suggesting growing strategic cooperation during a period of heightened regional tensions.
The announcement also followed remarks by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who said Israel had deployed Iron Dome air defence systems and military personnel to the UAE during the conflict with Iran. Speaking at an event in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Huckabee praised the UAE as a key example of expanding ties between Israel and Gulf Arab nations.
The conflicting statements from Abu Dhabi and Jerusalem come at a sensitive time in the region, with the Israel-Iran conflict fuelling diplomatic and security concerns across the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reacted strongly to reports of Netanyahu’s alleged visit to the UAE. In a post on X on Thursday, Araghchi warned that countries cooperating with Israel against Iran would face consequences.
“Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iran’s security services long ago conveyed to our leadership,” Araghchi wrote. “Enmity with the Great People of Iran is a foolish gamble. Collusion with Israel in doing so: unforgivable.”
He further added that “those colluding with Israel to sow division will be held to account.”
The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, formalised diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE. While ties between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv have expanded in trade, technology and security cooperation since then, the UAE has often sought to balance those relations amid broader regional tensions involving Iran and the Palestinian issue.
