Netanyahu Meets UAE President in Abu Dhabi Amid Pre-War Warning Reports

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday during a previously unannounced visit. Netanyahu departed Ben Gurion Airport shortly after noon on a private jet, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 3:10 PM and departing at 7:10 PM, landing back in Israel after 10 PM. The visit occurred against the backdrop of controversy surrounding reports of warnings Netanyahu allegedly received before the October 7th Hamas attack. These reports include a Haaretz newspaper account stating bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu in a phone call prior to the attack. This marks Netanyahu's second visit to the UAE in the past year; his previous trip during Operation "Lion's Roar" was publicly announced by his office at the time. The UAE authorities have not yet commented on the meeting, and Abu Dhabi previously denied a meeting between the two leaders during the earlier visit. A New York Times report published Friday claimed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu days before October 7th that Hamas was preparing an attack. According to the report, Netanyahu did not mention this warning during a meeting with security chiefs on October 1st of the same year.