UAE President Reportedly Warned Netanyahu of Regional Instability Before Oct. 7

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan allegedly conveyed a "general warning" about the volatile regional situation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to the October 7th Hamas attacks, according to a source familiar with the exchange who spoke to i24NEWS. This information was reportedly shared during a conversation with then-CIA Director Bill Burns. However, the source clarified that the message was not a specific alert about an imminent war or a major Hamas offensive, but rather a broader concern about the explosive nature of the situation on the ground.

These details emerge following a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which claimed that approximately ten days before the October 7th attack, Al Nahyan had warned Netanyahu that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a large-scale operation against Israel. Haaretz cited two sources familiar with the matter.

Conversely, two sources told i24NEWS that the Biden administration was unaware of any specific alert from the UAE prior to October 7th indicating a major Hamas attack plan. These sources added that even after the attack, U.S. officials had not heard of any concrete warning being issued by the UAE.