A reported intel and a secret visit: Netanyahu makes unannounced UAE visit, meets President MBZ amid October 7 warning row

The UAE has declined to comment specifically on the allegation, while affirming that open lines of communication have been maintained.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced visit to Abu Dhabi and met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, known as MBZ, on Sunday.

According to a senior Israeli official who confirmed the trip to Reuters. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu’s visit lasted around four hours. Neither Netanyahu’s office nor the UAE Foreign Ministry immediately issued an official comment on the meeting.

Visit follows reported pre-October 7 warning

The visit comes amid renewed attention over reports that Sheikh Mohammed warned Netanyahu about an impending major Hamas operation roughly 10 days before the October 7, 2023 attacks.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently reported the alleged warning. Netanyahu has denied receiving such a warning and threatened legal action over the report.

The UAE has declined to comment specifically on the allegation, while affirming that open lines of communication have been maintained.

Meeting amid political pressure in Israel

Netanyahu’s visit also comes as Israel faces a high-stakes reelection campaign. Political opposition leaders continue to point to security failures in the period leading up to the October 7 attacks as a key issue.

The reported meeting with MBZ therefore takes place against a backdrop of heightened political scrutiny over what Israeli authorities knew, and when, in the period before the Hamas attack.

Renewed Israel-UAE ties

Israel and the UAE established formal diplomatic relations under the 2020 Abraham Accords. Since then, the two countries have maintained direct security and diplomatic channels.

The Abu Dhabi meeting between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed comes within that established relationship, while also drawing attention because of the renewed dispute over the alleged warning before October 7.

Earlier this year in May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he made a "secret visit" to the United Arab Emirates, where he met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during the war with Iran.

According to Netanyahu's office, the meeting between the Israeli premier and the UAE president resulted in a "historic breakthrough".

The UAE Foreign Ministry, however, rejected the claim shortly afterwards, describing reports of the visit as "entirely unfounded". It also stressed that relations between the two countries were not based on "unofficial arrangements".

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