Abu Dhabi: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday for a six-hour meeting that covered bilateral relations and regional challenges, with Israeli officials saying the discussions also focused on Iran. The UAE officially confirmed the visit on Monday through its state news agency WAM.
The meeting comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia following the conflict involving Iran and renewed diplomatic efforts to address regional security concerns. Netanyahu’s office said the talks focused on strengthening relations between Israel and the UAE and discussing regional challenges.
Three senior Israeli officials separately said the meeting lasted around six hours and that Iran was a central subject of discussion. Neither side immediately released a detailed account of the issues discussed during the meeting.
UAE officially confirms Netanyahu’s visit
Netanyahu travelled to the UAE on Sunday at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office. The visit was officially confirmed by the UAE on Monday through WAM.
The confirmation was significant because there had been no immediate public statement from either Netanyahu’s office or the UAE Foreign Ministry when reports of the visit first emerged.
WAM said Sheikh Mohamed and Netanyahu discussed bilateral relations. The UAE’s confirmation also referred to regional challenges, while Israeli officials provided additional details about the reported focus on Iran.
The meeting represents another high-level engagement between the two countries, which established diplomatic relations under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020.
Iran was a key topic of the meeting
Although the official Emirati account focused on bilateral relations and regional challenges, three senior Israeli officials said the six-hour meeting focused on Iran.
The discussions took place against the backdrop of the ongoing regional crisis and diplomatic efforts involving the United States, Iran and other countries. Separate US-Iran talks with mediators were also taking place as Washington and Tehran explored possibilities for ending the conflict.
The exact details of Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed’s discussion on Iran have not been publicly disclosed.
The lack of a detailed joint account means that the specific positions exchanged during the meeting remain unclear. The Israeli officials’ description of the talks provides the available indication that Iran was an important part of the discussions.
Israel-UAE ties continue amid regional tensions
Israel and the UAE established formal diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, a US-backed agreement that also involved other Arab states.
Since then, the two countries have maintained diplomatic and economic links despite disagreements and wider regional tensions.
The current engagement comes after the UAE itself came under attack during the Iran conflict. India Today reported that the UAE has strengthened its relationships with both the United States and Israel amid the security situation.
The UAE’s relationship with Israel has also provided Abu Dhabi with a direct channel for communication with Washington and a role in regional diplomacy.
Earlier dispute over reported Netanyahu visit
The latest confirmed visit also follows an earlier dispute over reports of a meeting between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohamed.
Earlier this year, the UAE denied that Sheikh Mohamed had met Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister’s office said in May that Netanyahu had secretly visited the Gulf country.
A source familiar with that earlier episode had said the two leaders met in Al Ain, an oasis city in the Abu Dhabi emirate near the border with Oman, on March 26. The UAE had disputed the account at the time.
The latest meeting, however, has now been officially confirmed by the UAE.
Regional diplomacy remains active
Netanyahu’s UAE visit comes at a time when several Middle Eastern countries are involved in diplomatic efforts related to the Iran conflict.
US and Iranian officials have been holding separate discussions with mediators as part of efforts to reach an arrangement to end the fighting. Iran has put forward proposals involving an end to hostilities, sanctions relief and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States has continued to seek commitments concerning Iran’s nuclear programme.
The diplomatic activity has taken place alongside continuing regional security concerns, making contacts between Israel and Gulf countries particularly significant from a regional diplomacy perspective.
However, the specific outcome of Netanyahu’s meeting with Sheikh Mohamed has not been publicly detailed.
No detailed agreement announced
Neither the UAE nor Israel announced a new agreement following the six-hour meeting.
The publicly stated agenda centred on bilateral relations and regional challenges, while Israeli officials said Iran was a major focus. Further details about the positions discussed or any decisions reached were not immediately released.
The meeting nevertheless demonstrates that communication between Israel and the UAE continues despite the wider regional tensions.
With diplomatic efforts involving Iran, the United States and regional mediators continuing separately, the discussions in Abu Dhabi add another layer to the broader diplomatic activity surrounding the conflict.