Netanyahu Meets UAE President Amid Controversy Over Pre-Oct 7 Warning

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. The meeting follows a controversy sparked by a Haaretz newspaper report alleging that bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu in late September 2023 about an imminent attack by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

According to the Haaretz report, bin Zayed explicitly cautioned Netanyahu that Sinwar was planning a major operation against Israel and urged the prime minister to take the threat seriously. The report further stated that Netanyahu reacted with relative calm to the information, and that he did not update security officials. The Prime Minister's Office vehemently denied the report, issuing a statement that it was "an absolute lie" and that Netanyahu had not spoken with the UAE president during the period in question nor received any warning.

Adding to the controversy, the US administration stated that it was unaware of any specific warning from the UAE to Israel prior to the October 7th Hamas attacks. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office reiterated that "The media reports are incorrect. The Prime Minister did not receive any warning from the United Arab Emirates before October 7. Any relevant information was transferred through intelligence channels between the two countries."