Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly visited the United Arab Emirates during Israel’s war with Iran, his office said Wednesday, setting off a swift denial from the UAE government. The exchange underscored the delicate balance Gulf leaders are trying to maintain as regional security cooperation with Israel grows alongside public messaging.
Netanyahu’s office said he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and described the meeting as “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.” It also pointed to the 2020 normalization agreement between Israel and the UAE under the Abraham Accords.
The UAE disputed the framing of the encounter. The UAE’s WAM news agency posted a report denying “reports circulating” about a Netanyahu visit, saying the relationship between the two countries is “public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements.” WAM also denied that any Israeli military delegation was received in the UAE.
The Netanyahu announcement arrived the day after U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Israel sent Iron Dome air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them in the UAE, a disclosure that pointed to deeper operational ties as Iran’s conflict with Israel continues.
The wider context includes the way the UAE’s government has sought to convey steadiness to investors during the Iran war, AP reported, even as the country has faced Iranian missile and drone fire after a ceasefire was reached last month. Iran has also criticized the Abraham Accords, and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
The episode followed other public signals of Israeli-Emirati coordination. Last week, WAM reported that Netanyahu was among the leaders who called Sheikh Mohammed to condemn Iranian attacks and express solidarity with the Gulf federation.
Separately from the Netanyahu-visit dispute, the AP report also covered other Middle East developments. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused Kuwait of attempting to “sow discord” after Kuwait detained four Iranians it accused of being Revolutionary Guard operatives, demanding their “immediate release” in a Wednesday post on X and saying Iran reserved the right to respond. Kuwait, the day earlier, said the four men were detained and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island on May 1.
The AP report also said Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was released from prison more than a month after being detained, after a rights group and her daughter said she was freed on bail from Tehran’s Evin Prison. Her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, posted that Sotoudeh was released on temporary custody, and ISNA later reported the release.
Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace laureate and activist, also made headlines in the AP report. Doctors who examined her after she collapsed at an Iranian prison said she needs months of treatment, according to her foundation, with the doctors recommending eight months of care after her vascular disease worsened since her last check in 2024.