UAE denies that Netanyahu secretly visited country during Iran war

The UAE has denied reports of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit. In a social media post, the UAE Foreign Ministry said the reports were false and stressed that its relationship with Israel is open and based only on the officially announced Abraham Accords. It said there were no secret meetings or unofficial arrangements. The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry calling it “entirely unfounded.” “The UAE calls on media outlets to exercise accuracy and professionalism, and to refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives,” adds the foreign ministry.

UAE Denies Reports Regarding Visit by Israeli Prime Minister or Receiving Any Israeli Military Delegation pic.twitter.com/TRX9y5ZoVN

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) May 13, 2026

Earlier, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli Prime Minister held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and met its president during the war with Iran.
The announcement came a day after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that Israel had sent its Iron Dome air defence systems, plus personnel to operate them, to the UAE during the war with Iran. While stopping short of confirming Huckabee's comments, Netanyahu's office said the visit "marked a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates".
Iran reacted strongly to these reports. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Gulf countries against cooperating with Israel and said any country helping Israel against Iran would be held to account.Iran targeted the UAE more than any other country during the war, which was sparked by US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic at the end of February. Despite a ceasefire that came into effect last month, the UAE has since reported multiple missile and drone attacks from Iran.