Israel's Netanyahu holds secret meeting with UAE president

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly met with the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, both governments confirmed late on Monday.

"The two sides discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them," read an Emirati statement.

Netanyahu's office said the visit "focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges."

The secret trip came weeks after a bombshell Israeli media report that the UAE president had warned Netanyahu about an imminent threat from the Palestinian militant group Hamas ahead of the deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 — a warning which the Israeli premier allegedly failed to pass on to security services.

Indeed, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported on Monday that the purpose of Netanyahu's visit had been to request that Sheikh Mohamed deny having given such a warning.

Netanyahu's office denied that the prime minister had made any such request, just as it had also denied the original report.