Report says IDF chief met UAE leaders despite Emirati denial of wartime visit

The UAE Foreign Ministry publicly rejected reports that Netanyahu secretly traveled to the Emirates during the conflict and met the president.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir met with senior United Arab Emirates officials, including President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, during the war with Iran, Kan reported, despite an earlier public denial from UAE officials that such meetings had taken place.

The report followed mounting controversy over disclosures surrounding alleged secret wartime contacts between Israel and the UAE, including claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the country during the conflict.

According to Kan, Zamir and other Israeli officials attended meetings with Emirati counterparts during the war. The reported discussions included a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.

The developments came after the UAE Foreign Ministry publicly rejected reports that Netanyahu secretly traveled to the Emirates during the conflict and met with Mohamed bin Zayed, describing the claims as “entirely unfounded.”

In a statement, the ministry stressed that relations between the UAE and Israel are conducted publicly under the framework of the Abraham Accords.

“The UAE’s relations with Israel are open relations, created under the framework of the Abraham Accords, and are not based on secrecy or hidden arrangements. Therefore, any claim about undeclared visits or arrangements has no basis unless published by the authorized official authorities in the United Arab Emirates,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The denial followed reports that Netanyahu’s office had characterized the alleged wartime visit as a “historic breakthrough.” Israeli officials reportedly insisted the meeting took place in Al Ain on March 26.

Tensions surrounding the reports were compounded by frustration within the UAE over leaks connected to high-level contacts between the countries. A source told i24NEWS that Emirati officials were angered by disclosures linked to the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The Emiratis were very angry. This is not the first time a sensitive leak has come out of the Prime Minister’s Office. That is precisely why Netanyahu has not visited the UAE for years,” the source said.

Diplomatic engagement between Israel and the UAE has remained relatively low-profile since normalization under the Abraham Accords in 2020, although security coordination has continued amid shared concerns involving Iran and broader regional threats.