The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday evening denied that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the country during Operation Roaring Lion against Iran and met with President Mohammed bin Zayed.
“The United Arab Emirates denies reports circulating regarding an alleged visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UAE, or receiving any Israeli military delegation in the country," the statement said.
“The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements. Accordingly, any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE," it added.
The UAE Foreign Ministry urged “media outlets to exercise accuracy and professionalism, and to refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives."
The statement came after Netanyahu’s office officially confirmed that Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the current war.
"This visit led to a historic breakthrough in the relations between Israel and the UAE," the office stated.
This is the first publicized meeting between Netanyahu and bin Zayed. Netanyahu met with bin Zayed several times in the past and even visited the United Arab Emirates, but it was not made public, certainly not by his office.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Mossad chief David Barnea secretly visited the UAE at least twice during the war with Iran.
According to the report, the visits were conducted in March and April.
Arab officials and a person familiar with the matter told the newspaper that the goal of the visits was coordination about the war.