Netanyahu made secret visit to UAE to meet with country’s president, Israel says

Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates recently, where he met with Mohammed bin Zayed, the country’s president, sources told CBS News.

Netanyahu’s office later acknowledged the trip, saying in a statement that it “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”

Sources told CBS News that the meeting occurred in late March. Spokespeople for the UAE did not immediately comment.

News of the visit comes after a report by the Wall Street Journal that the UAE carried out military strikes on Iran last month. The UAE has not acknowledged that action publicly.

Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense batteries and personnel to the UAE, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday. Sources confirmed the UAE received the defense systems. 

According to a U.S. official, Netanyahu traveled to the UAE in 2018 to meet with MBZ, as he is often called. 

The UAE was the first country to sign on to the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and four Arab nations.