UAE Official Denies Warning to Netanyahu Before Oct. 7 Attack

A senior UAE official anonymously denied a report claiming the Emirates had warned Israel about an impending Hamas attack before October 7. The official told the Emirati newspaper The National that the UAE discusses security issues with other nations through relevant bodies, not at the leaders' level, and that such specific details are not discussed in such meetings. This statement clarifies an earlier, less direct response from the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated it does not comment on media speculation about leaders' conversations but affirmed ongoing communication channels between UAE and Israeli government bodies for relevant intelligence sharing.

The denial comes in response to a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an explicit warning from the UAE president about a "major operation" planned by Hamas leader Sinwar days before the October 7 massacre. Haaretz reported that Netanyahu did not update security chiefs about this alleged warning.

Netanyahu's office had previously denied the Haaretz report. Topaz Lok, an advisor to the Prime Minister, reiterated this denial in an interview, stating, "There was no conversation of this type, no warning of this type was received." Lok added that his investigation found no such conversation occurred at that time, emphasizing that leader-level discussions are always accompanied by representatives from the National Security Council, military secretary, or political advisor, with summaries automatically shared with security agencies. He asserted that Netanyahu would not conceal such information and would have alerted everyone.

The UAE official's statement suggests that while security channels remain open, specific warnings of this nature are not typically conveyed directly between heads of state during phone calls.