Emirati state media confirmed on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon, meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, known widely by his initials MBZ.
The confirmation came from the state news agency WAM and was quickly backed up by Netanyahu’s office, which said MBZ had invited him to Abu Dhabi for discussions on “strengthening relations between the two countries” and addressing “regional challenges” jointly.
Netanyahu traveled with his wife Sara, his military secretary, his foreign policy adviser, and the heads of Israel’s National Security Council and Mossad intelligence service, according to his office.
The Jerusalem Post reported that three senior Israeli officials described the meeting as lasting six hours and centering largely on Iran.
Emirati officials told the Jerusalem Post that Netanyahu applied “particularly heavy” pressure on MBZ to secure the meeting, including what were described as hints about future security cooperation as an incentive. The visit had originally been planned for late the previous week, but MBZ pulled back at the last minute for reasons that remain unclear.
Israeli sources told the Associated Press that one significant motivation behind the meeting was Netanyahu’s desire to have MBZ publicly deny reports that he had warned Netanyahu in advance of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. The Office of the Israeli Prime Minister has called that report “fake news.”
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu did raise the subject with MBZ during their meeting, but MBZ declined to issue a firm denial, not wanting to be drawn into Israeli domestic politics.
“MBZ does not want to take part in Netanyahu’s campaign. Relations between the two have been strained for some time,” an Emirati source said.
The Associated Press also reported that Netanyahu met with other regional leaders while in Abu Dhabi, possibly including representatives from Libya, Morocco, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, noting that aircraft from each of those countries landed in Abu Dhabi around the same time as the Israeli delegation.
Channel 14 reported on Tuesday that the gathered leaders discussed building a regional framework to guard against shared threats, including Iranian-backed proxies such as Yemen’s Houthi insurgents, who have been engaged in fighting with Saudi Arabia. According to that report, Saudi Arabia asked for assistance against the Houthis, and Netanyahu “did not reject the request.”
Israeli outlet Ynet News reported that Mossad chief Roman Goffman had arranged the meeting after Saudi Arabia sought Israeli help against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region.
Channel 14 also reported that Netanyahu urged MBZ and the other leaders to keep up economic pressure on Tehran and to prepare for possible last-ditch Iranian attacks, potentially including missile or drone strikes on water desalination plants and other critical infrastructure. Iran has reportedly responded to news of the Abu Dhabi meeting by threatening countries that cooperate with Israel.
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