Hebrew media outlets have revealed new details surrounding a senior Israeli military delegation that accompanied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his secret visit to the United Arab Emirates amid the joint American and Israeli war on Iran.
According to the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom, Netanyahu travelled to the UAE alongside the head of Mossad, the director of Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet, the Israeli military chief of staff, and a group of senior security officials during the war with Iran.
The newspaper claimed that Netanyahu received what it described as a “royal welcome” upon arriving in Abu Dhabi, stating that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally drove Netanyahu from the aircraft to the palace as a gesture of respect and honour.
Israeli media figure Ze’ev Agmon stated: “As someone who knows the UAE well and has lived there for long periods, and as someone who accompanied the prime minister on this historic trip which remained highly secret until today, I can say that the prime minister was welcomed in Abu Dhabi in a manner reserved for kings.”
He added: “Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, members of his family and other senior figures welcomed us warmly, and they were pleased to see an Israeli prime minister on their soil.”
Agmon further claimed that Mohammed bin Zayed held Netanyahu in “great respect” and personally transported him in his private vehicle from the aircraft to the palace.
He concluded by saying: “The outcomes achieved by the prime minister during this remarkable visit will be remembered for generations. A tremendous success.”
UAE Denial After Israeli Confirmation
Netanyahu’s office officially confirmed the visit and claimed that a major military and security breakthrough had been achieved during the meetings.
In response, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly issued an official statement denying that the visit had taken place.
The Emirati denial was widely linked to a threatening statement issued by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which reportedly alarmed Abu Dhabi and pushed it towards publicly distancing itself from the visit.
Araghchi wrote: “Netanyahu has now publicly revealed what Iranian security agencies had informed our leadership of long ago. Hostility towards the great Iranian people is a reckless gamble. Complicity with Israel in this matter is unforgivable.”
He added: “Anyone cooperating with Israel to spread division will be held accountable.”
Israeli journalist Guy Israel commented: “Perhaps the Emirati denial is best explained by the explicit threat issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry because the UAE dared to host its ally during the war.”
Israeli Criticism of Netanyahu
The Hebrew newspaper Maariv criticised Netanyahu for publicly disclosing the UAE visit during wartime and accused him of embarrassing a strategic ally for personal and electoral interests.
The newspaper wrote: “Israeli prime ministers constantly hold secret meetings with foreign leaders, counterparts and security officials, as well as with various parties who view discretion as essential. Rational Israeli prime ministers do not leak news of these meetings in order to avoid harming Israel’s interests and those of its partners, while ensuring such channels remain open in the future.”
It continued: “Benjamin Netanyahu is not a rational prime minister. His personal interests come before the interests of the state. He knew that his arrival in the UAE during the war with Iran would inflict severe and incalculable harm on our ally. Yet his office officially confirmed the visit.”
The newspaper added: “The UAE lies close to Iran. It is a small state incapable of confronting the Islamic Republic. Our relations with it are open, but the visit of our prime minister during its conflict with Iran amounts to an act approaching betrayal.”
Deepening Strategic Alignment
Observers argue that the political symbolism surrounding Netanyahu’s visit has become nearly as significant as the meeting itself, particularly amid reports of exceptional reception arrangements and direct involvement by senior Emirati leadership figures.
These developments have reinforced perceptions that Abu Dhabi is no longer limiting itself to cautious normalisation with Israel, but is instead moving towards consolidating its role as one of Israel’s closest strategic partners in the Arab world.
The controversy carries additional sensitivity given the wider regional context in which the visit reportedly occurred, coinciding with escalating confrontation with Iran, the ongoing war in Gaza, and growing public anger across the Arab world over Israeli military operations in the region.
Regional analysts believe that any indications of deep coordination between the UAE and Israel during this period could provoke broad political and public backlash.
While the UAE continues presenting its relationship with Israel as a pragmatic partnership aimed at promoting stability alongside economic and technological cooperation, critics argue that the relationship has steadily evolved into a broader strategic and military alliance.
Analysts also contend that reports emerging from Israeli sources reflect the UAE’s increasing integration into regional security structures linked to both Israel and the United States.
This debate intensified further during the confrontation with Iran amid reports of expanded intelligence cooperation, missile defence coordination, and Emirati participation in regional security arrangements directed against Tehran.
According to regional assessments, these developments strengthen the perception that Abu Dhabi is gradually moving away from the traditional Gulf policy of neutrality and towards a closer geopolitical alliance with Washington and Tel Aviv.
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