UAE confirms Netanyahu’s Abu Dhabi visit and talks with Mohammed bin Zayed

The UAE’s official news agency WAM said President Mohammed bin Zayed received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and discussed bilateral relations, confirming an unannounced visit first reported by Israel’s Channel 12.

Hilal Times Editorial DeskSeptember 28, 2026, 11:14 AMUpdated: September 29, 2026, 12:26 PM

UAE confirms Netanyahu’s Abu Dhabi visit and talks with Mohammed bin Zayed

The UAE’s official news agency WAM said on Monday, Sept. 28, that President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the country on Sunday, and that the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The visit was first reported by Israel’s Channel 12, citing two separate sources, which said Netanyahu flew to Abu Dhabi on a private jet on Sunday morning, met bin Zayed and returned to Israel the same evening. Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said the plane belongs to an unnamed Israeli businessman and is used by senior Israeli officials for foreign travel, and that Netanyahu’s office had not announced the trip.

According to Israeli reports, the meeting lasted about 45 minutes, was held mostly one-on-one and focused on the Iranian threat. In May, the UAE had denied, via WAM, reports of a similar secret visit, stressing that its relations with Israel are public and conducted under the Abraham Accords.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The visit came as Israel debates reports by The New York Times and Haaretz that bin Zayed warned Netanyahu in late September 2023 that Hamas was considering a “major attack,” a warning Israeli sources say never reached the heads of the security services.