The United Arab Emirates officially denied on Wednesday claims that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made a secret visit to the country to meet with the Emirati president amid the ongoing war against Iran.
In a statement, the Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the statements from Netanyahu's office, which previously claimed that a confidential meeting had taken place between the Israeli leader and President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Emirati authorities insisted that relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel were "public" and not based on "opaque or unofficial agreements." The statement specified that any visit or arrangement not officially announced by the relevant authorities should be considered "completely unfounded."
Benjamin Netanyahu's office, however, referred to a "historic breakthrough" in relations between the two countries. According to a source close to the matter cited by Reuters, Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Zayed met on March 26 in Al-Ain, near the border with Oman, for a meeting that reportedly lasted several hours.
Relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates have become a central element of the strategic balance in the Middle East since the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries. This cooperation is particularly sensitive in the context of the regional conflict involving Iran.
The United Arab Emirates has itself been targeted in recent months by retaliatory strikes attributed to Iran or groups allied with Tehran. In this climate of heightened tensions, any security or diplomatic cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Israel is closely watched in the region.
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