Netanyahu gave the UAE intelligence that indicated Iran was rebuilding its nuclear program.

The UAE publicly confirmed the meeting a day after it took place, marking the first time Abu Dhabi has officially acknowledged a visit by Netanyahu to the country.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with new Israeli intelligence indicating that Iran has resumed progress on its nuclear program during a previously unannounced visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, CNN has reported.

An Israeli source with knowledge of the meeting told CNN that the intelligence included information about new construction at Iran’s Pickaxe mountain site, roughly 140 miles south of Tehran, which Israel views as a potential location for efforts to rebuild parts of the country’s nuclear program.

Iran dominated the discussions between Netanyahu and the Emirati president amid deepening Israeli-Emirati security cooperation during the ongoing conflict with Tehran.

The meeting was also attended by a senior Saudi security official, two sources familiar with the visit told CNN. The talks included Iran as well as the Houthis in Yemen, security in the Bab al-Mandeb waterway and the Strait of Hormuz.

Netanyahu told those present that Israel assesses that Iran could launch an attack in the region within the coming weeks, according to one of the sources.

The UAE publicly confirmed the meeting a day after it took place, marking the first time Abu Dhabi has officially acknowledged a visit by Netanyahu to the country.

The Emirati state news agency WAM said Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed “discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and further develop them.”

Netanyahu’s office similarly said the talks focused on “strengthening relations between the two countries and regional challenges.”

The Israeli delegation included Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, along with senior security officials including the head of the National Security Council, Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Netanyahu’s military secretary.

Israeli reports said Netanyahu flew to Abu Dhabi aboard a private plane and spent several hours in the UAE. Channel 12 first revealed the trip Sunday evening while Netanyahu was still returning to Israel, prompting the Shin Bet to file a complaint with the military censor.

Netanyahu’s office said the premature disclosure created a security risk for the prime minister and his delegation.

The visit came exactly one month before Israel’s Oct. 27 election and amid a separate dispute over reports that Sheikh Mohamed warned Netanyahu shortly before the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre that a major attack from Gaza could be imminent.

Haaretz first reported that the Emirati president called Netanyahu roughly a week and a half before October 7 and relayed information suggesting Hamas was planning a major operation. The New York Times subsequently reported on the alleged warning.

Netanyahu has categorically denied receiving such a warning.

The Associated Press reported that one purpose of Sunday’s meeting was for Netanyahu to ask Sheikh Mohamed to publicly deny the account. Netanyahu’s office rejected that characterization as “fake news.”

The UAE has so far stopped short of either confirming or explicitly denying the alleged pre-October 7 call.

Its Foreign Ministry said earlier this month that it “does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders.”

“When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities,” the ministry added.

Israeli reporting indicated that Sunday’s talks may have extended beyond the UAE itself.

Kan reported that Netanyahu participated in an expanded meeting with senior representatives from several Middle Eastern countries, including states that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, for discussions focused on regional cooperation against Iran.

Aircraft from Libya, Morocco and Qatar, as well as an Emirati government aircraft arriving from Riyadh, were reported to have landed in Abu Dhabi around the time of Netanyahu’s visit.