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The UAE confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly met with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, with the disclosure coming weeks before Israel's October elections and amid a row over reports that the Emirati leader had warned Netanyahu of a major Hamas operation before October 7, 2023.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**UAE's official Emirates News Agency (WAM)** confirmed late Monday that Netanyahu met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) in Abu Dhabi over the weekend to discuss bilateral ties, a day after the Israeli leader's secret trip was first reported by Israel's Channel 12.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Haaretz** reported on September 9 that MBZ warned Netanyahu by phone roughly 10 days before October 7, 2023, relaying then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's threat of a "huge surprise," and that MBZ had also alerted Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency.

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Netanyahu Met UAE's MBZ in Secret Abu Dhabi Trip — SkimNews

By Al Jazeera · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-28

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UAE's official Emirates News Agency (WAM) confirmed late Monday that Netanyahu met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) in Abu Dhabi over the weekend to discuss bilateral ties, a day after the Israeli leader's secret trip was first reported by Israel's Channel 12.
Haaretz reported on September 9 that MBZ warned Netanyahu by phone roughly 10 days before October 7, 2023, relaying then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's threat of a "huge surprise," and that MBZ had also alerted Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency.
Netanyahu's office denied the prime minister received advance information, and Netanyahu announced he would sue Haaretz, calling its report "fabricated" and "politically motivated."
Shin Bet filed a complaint with Israel's military censor arguing that reporting on the trip endangered the prime minister and exposed the agency's operational methods.
Israel-UAE relations have deepened since the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee saying in May that Israel deployed Iron Dome batteries and personnel to the Emirates against potential Iranian attacks.
The October 7 attack killed at least 1,195 people in southern Israel and took around 250 captive; Israel's military response has killed at least 73,669 Palestinians in Gaza, according to figures cited in the source.
Netanyahu trails in polls ahead of October's Knesset elections, facing a challenge from former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.

Why it matters: The confirmed visit lands weeks before Knesset elections Netanyahu is currently trailing in, and it reopens the politically explosive question of whether he ignored a pre-October 7 warning from MBZ—an allegation his office denies and that he now says he will sue Haaretz over. With Shin Bet also objecting that the trip's exposure compromised its methods, the Abu Dhabi meeting has become a contested flashpoint that Netanyahu's rivals can use against him on the campaign trail.