Biden Administration Denies Receiving UAE Warning Before Oct. 7 Hamas Attack

The Biden administration has no record of receiving specific intelligence from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about Hamas's planned large-scale attack prior to October 7, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to i24NEWS. These sources indicated that the administration also did not hear of any such specific warning from the UAE after the attack occurred. While this does not definitively rule out the existence of such a warning being passed to Israeli officials, the sources suggested that a significant warning would likely have reached the Biden administration, either before or after October 7.

This statement comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that the newspaper Haaretz retract a report, issue an apology, and pay NIS 1 million within 72 hours, or face a lawsuit exceeding NIS 2.5 million. The Haaretz report, published the previous day, alleged that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu about a week and a half before the October 7 massacre, warning him that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a "major move" against Israel. The report further claimed that then-CIA Director Bill Burns heard from bin Zayed that he had tried to convey a message to Netanyahu that "something is about to explode."

Despite these claims, the Biden administration, according to the sources, is unaware of any concrete warning. The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Tuesday that the UAE's involvement since October 7 has consistently aimed at de-escalation, regional stability, and preventing violence, adding that "UAE and Israeli officials have maintained open and direct lines of communication since the beginning of relations more than five years ago. When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be shared between the relevant parties."

Prime Minister Netanyahu's office stated that "no conversation took place between the Prime Minister and the President of the United Arab Emirates from the beginning of September until October 7." The President's office also responded to the Haaretz report, clarifying that President Isaac Herzog's conversations with the UAE president in the months preceding October 7 did not involve security matters, Hamas, or Yahya Sinwar, but rather social and internal Israeli affairs and bilateral relations. Therefore, the President's office emphasized that the President was not aware of the alleged warning and has no knowledge of its existence.