The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced on 13 May that Benjamin Netanyahu had travelled “secretly” to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed, the statement said.
“This visit led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said.
Earlier, senior US officials confirmed that Israel had sent the Iron Dome air defence system to the UAE, as well as military personnel to operate it during the war with Iran.
Also, according to UAE officials and an informed source who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, Mossad chief David Barnea travelled to the UAE at least twice during the war with Iran to discuss coordination related to the conflict.
The UAE is one of the few Arab countries to have diplomatic relations with Israel, which were formally established in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords. These agreements are considered one of the most important foreign policy achievements of US President Donald Trump as well as Benjamin Netanyahu.