Netanyahu UAE visit denied

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on May 13 that the Israeli prime minister made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran and met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, describing the encounter as a “historic breakthrough” in ties between the two countries. (al-monitor.com) The UAE publicly rejected that account on May 14. In a foreign ministry statement, Abu Dhabi said it denied “reports circulating regarding an alleged visit” by Netanyahu and also denied receiving “any Israeli military delegation in the country.” The ministry said the UAE’s ties with Israel are conducted “within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords” and that claims of “unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE.” (mofa.gov.ae) The dispute matters because Netanyahu has not previously had a publicly confirmed visit to the UAE since the two countries normalized relations in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. Reuters, citing Netanyahu’s office, said the statement appeared to be the first confirmation of a meeting between Netanyahu and the Emirati president. (al-monitor.com) Israeli and regional reporting added more detail than the official Israeli statement. The Times of Israel, citing a source familiar with the matter, said Netanyahu and bin Zayed met on March 26 in Al-Ain, near the Oman border, and that the meeting lasted several hours. That detail has not been confirmed by the UAE, which instead issued a categorical denial the next day. (timesofisrael.com) The timing is tied to what Israel calls Operation Roaring Lion. Israeli official and quasi-official pages describe that operation as the campaign launched on February 28, 2026, against Iran, with the conflict extending into a broader Israel-Iran war. (m.idf.il) The two governments’ statements leave several points unresolved. Israel says the meeting happened and cast it as a diplomatic gain. The UAE says no such visit took place and warned media against circulating what it called unverified information and “misleading political narratives.” (al-monitor.com) What is established on the record is narrower than some of the surrounding commentary. Netanyahu’s office did announce the purported visit on May 13. The UAE foreign ministry did deny it on May 14. And both sides framed their positions in official language rather than through unnamed leaks alone. (al-monitor.com) The next place to watch is official readouts from the Israeli prime minister’s office and the UAE foreign ministry. If either side publishes travel records, photographs with metadata, or a fuller diplomatic account, that would move the story beyond the current clash of statements. (mofa.gov.ae)