Netanyahu Met UAE President, Reportedly Asked Him to Deny Hamas Warning

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was part of Netanyahu's covert visit to the UAE, from which he departed and returned on the same day. While details of the meeting were not officially disclosed, with the Prime Minister's office declining to comment on its content, reports suggest the Iranian threat was a primary focus.

However, according to the Associated Press, a source with firsthand knowledge of the meeting stated its purpose was for Netanyahu to ask Sheikh Mohamed to publicly deny a report published earlier this month in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. The Haaretz report claimed that Sheikh Mohamed had explicitly warned Netanyahu about Hamas's plans for a significant attack shortly before the October 7, 2023, events, based on intelligence concerning a plan attributed to Hamas leadership in Gaza.

The Prime Minister's office had previously denied the specifics of the Haaretz report but did not immediately respond regarding the trip itself. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not specifically address the meeting but affirmed that the Emirates maintain "open and direct communication channels" with Israel and share "all relevant intelligence."