Netanyahu office confirms UAE visit

TEL AVIV

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the UAE capital on Sept. 27. (AFP File Photo)

Israel on Sept. 29 confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates the day before, saying he discussed the region as delicate U.S.-backed diplomacy takes place on Iran.

“The visit focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement on X, after the United Arab Emirates also confirmed the talks.

Israel’s domestic security service filed a complaint against a TV channel that reported Netanyahu visited the UAE.

“This evening the Shin Bet filed a complaint with the Chief Military Censor, demanding that Channel 12 be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law following a severe censorship violation,” read a statement from Netanyahu’s office, which oversees the security agency.

On Sept. 28, Channel 12 and other Israeli media outlets reported that Netanyahu had visited the Gulf country to meet with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

The visit came weeks after a bombshell Israeli media report that the Emirati president had warned Netanyahu ahead of Hamas’, 2023 attack on Israel, which the Israeli premier did not pass on to the security services. 

Netanyahu has denied the story.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu flew to the UAE to ask Sheikh Mohamed to deny having given him that warning in 2023.