Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, September 27, 2026, to hold a secret meeting with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to reports published by Haaretz on Monday, September 28, 2026, Netanyahu reportedly asked the Emirati leader to deny that Abu Dhabi warned Tel Aviv about a major impending Hamas attack shortly before the October 7, 2023, assault.
Secret Meeting in the United Arab Emirates
Netanyahu traveled covertly to the UAE for a one-hour meeting with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, commonly known as MBZ, according to sources cited by Haaretz and corroborated by Middle East Eye and Press TV. The Prime Minister’s office in Israel and the official Emirati news agency WAM both confirmed the leaders met to discuss bilateral relations and regional challenges, but neither government issued a statement addressing the reported request for a denial regarding prior warnings.
Reporting from Israeli media outlets indicates that Netanyahu attempted to persuade MBZ to publicly dismiss claims that the UAE tipped off Israeli intelligence about Hamas operational plans roughly a week and a half before the 2023 attacks. Previous reports from Haaretz claimed that Netanyahu received a phone call containing warnings from the UAE leadership but failed to pass that intelligence along to Israel’s security agencies.
Political Stakes Over Pre-Attack Intelligence
During the closed-door discussions in the UAE, Netanyahu allegedly told MBZ that the sequence of events leading up to the October 7 assault “could embarrass him”. Sources cited by Haaretz indicated that the Israeli leader was seeking moral support from the Emirati president.
Official Responses and Regional Context
The Prime Minister’s office stated on social media platform X that the visit focused strictly on strengthening ties between the two nations and addressing shared regional challenges. Meanwhile, regional outlets including Middle East Eye characterized the trip as an “desperate effort” by Netanyahu to manage the fallout from media reports detailing the pre-war communication.
Official channels in both Israel and the UAE have not directly addressed the specific claims regarding the requested denial of the 2023 warning.
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