On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings
During his trip to Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Mohamed bin Zayed to deny reports that he had been warned ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that Hamas was preparing a major assault.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to ask Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed to deny a Sept. 8 report that Abu Dhabi had warned the Israeli leader about a looming Hamas threat ahead of the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Al-Monitor has confirmed.
Sources who spoke to Al-Monitor's Ben Caspit confirmed the visit and said it was expected to take place earlier this month but that Abu Dhabi was reluctant to accept the Israeli premier. The visit comes almost a month before the Israeli elections, in which Netanyahu's Likud party is trailing against former military chief Gadi Eisenkot and his centrist Yashar party.
Channel 12 first reported the news on Sunday that Netanyahu had traveled earlier that day to Abu Dhabi, without giving the reason for the trip. The flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 reported Sunday that a private jet previously used by Netanyahu had been taken for a flight from Israel to the Emirates, flying over Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu secretly visited the UAE 2day.
— avi scharf (@avischarf) September 27, 2026
Now landing back in Israel using two VVIP planes just like he did in secret March visit pic.twitter.com/mPHXPu50xR
Asked by Al-Monitor, Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the report. The UAE Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to Al-Monitor's request for comment.
UAE’s official news agency confirmed the visit later on Monday. It said that Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral relations.
