Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran. He held talks with President Muhammad bin Zayed in Al Ajna.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a private visit to the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran, his office announced on Wednesday. According to her, he met President Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the trip. According to Reuters, the meeting took place at the end of March and lasted several hours. TASR informs about it.
- Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the war with Iran.
- Netanyahu met with President Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan in person.
- The meeting of the leaders on March 26 in the city of al Ajn lasted several hours.
The “secret” visit and meeting of the leaders resulted in a “historic breakthrough” in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. According to the media, this is apparently the first confirmation that Netanyahu and the president of the UAE have met at all.
Meeting in the city of al-Ain
According to a Reuters source, the meeting took place on March 26 in the city of al-Ain, which is located near the Emirates’ border with Oman. The leaders held talks for several hours, the source said.
The United Arab Emirates is one of the few Arab countries that maintains diplomatic relations with Israel. The 2020 Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States, normalized Israel’s relations with Bahrain, the UAE, and Morocco.
Provision of defense systems
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on Tuesday that Israel provided the United Arab Emirates with its air defense systems, along with the personnel to operate them, during the war with Iran. The UAE was among the main targets of Iran’s retaliatory attacks, AFP noted.
Despite a cease-fire between the US and Iran that took effect in early April, the United Arab Emirates has reported multiple missile and drone attacks from Iran.
Focus on UAE
Iran has targeted the UAE more than any other country during the war sparked by US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic in late February.
The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is among the main allies of the United States in the region and is one of the Arab countries that established official relations with Israel – this happened in 2020 with the signing of the Abraham Accords.
