Netanyahu asks UAE president to deny report on October 7 warning during secret visit: report

UAE's state news agency confirms Netanyahu's visit to Abu Dhabi, says both leaders discussed bilateral relations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed during a secret meeting on Sunday to deny a report that he had warned Netanyahu of an imminent Hamas attack before October 7, 2023, Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported.

Netanyahu asked bin Zayed to deny reports about their phone conversation and details surrounding the events before October 7 that “could embarrass him,” Haaretz said, citing unspecified sources.

Netanyahu asked UAE leader to deny Haaretz Oct. 7 warning report in secret visit https://t.co/5n7BavDi6l

— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) September 28, 2026

The Israeli premier also asked the Emirati president for what one source described as “moral support,” the newspaper reported.

Netanyahu held an hour-long meeting with bin Zayed, according to two people briefed on the trip.

According to UAE’s state news agency WAM, bin Zayed received Netanyahu, who visited the UAE on Sunday. "During the meeting, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and further develop them".

🚨🇦🇪🇮🇱After 24 hours the Emirati state news agency confirms Netanyahu's visit to Abu Dhabi: "UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. During the meeting, the two leaders… https://t.co/f6lZYJYpj1

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) September 28, 2026

Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that Netanyahu travelled on a private plane owned by an unnamed Israeli businessman and used by senior Israeli figures for international trips.

The broadcaster said it departed Ben Gurion Airport in the afternoon and landed in Abu Dhabi at 3:10 pm (1110GMT). It took off for Israel at 7:10 pm (1510GMT), four hours later, and landed shortly after 10pm (1900GMT).

KAN said Netanyahu had also used the aircraft for a trip to Abu Dhabi during the war with Iran.

The visit comes after Haaretz this month reported that Sheikh Mohamed ​had warned Netanyahu a week and a half before October 7, 2023, ​that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel. Haaretz had reported that the warning was not passed to Israeli intelligence agencies or the military.

Netanyahu, ​who denied the report and threatened legal action against the newspaper, is facing a tough reelection campaign. Opposition leaders have accused the prime minister of bearing responsibility for security failures that preceded Hamas' October 7 attack.

Read: Netanyahu warned by UAE president before October 7 events, failed to brief security chiefs: Haaretz

On Friday, the New York Times also reported that Netanyahu had received a confidential warning from the UAE president before the Hamas attack but had not passed it on to Israel’s security chiefs.

The UAE declined to comment on the ​Haaretz report but said it and Israel maintained "open and direct ​lines of communication" since establishing diplomatic relations in 2020. A UAE source previously told Reuters ‌that ⁠the UAE discusses security matters with countries through the "relevant entities," but not "at the level of national leaders".

بيان صادر من وزارة الخارجية بشأن تقارير إعلامية

Statement by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Response to Media Reporting pic.twitter.com/9S4Zavjjzc

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) September 8, 2026

Earlier this year, the UAE denied that Sheikh Mohamed met with Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister's office said in May that Netanyahu ​had "secretly visited" the Gulf ​country and met ⁠with the president.

A source familiar with the meeting said at the time that Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed met in ​Al-Ain, an oasis city in Abu Dhabi along the country's ​border with ⁠Oman, on March 26.

Read More: Israeli newspaper rejects Netanyahu’s demands, vows to reveal truth in court after lawsuit threat

Since coming under attack during the Iran war, the UAE has strengthened its relationships with the United States and Israel, with which it opened ties ⁠as ​a result of the 2020 Abraham Accords. The ​relationship with Israel gives the UAE a lever for regional influence and a unique channel to Washington.