UAE denies that Netanyahu secretly visited country during Iran war

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan speaks during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, January 29, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)
President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan speaks during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, January 29, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry denies a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that he secretly visited the UAE during the war against Iran, calling it “entirely unfounded.”

“The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements,” it says in a statement. “Accordingly, any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE.”

“The UAE calls on media outlets to exercise accuracy and professionalism, and to refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives,” adds the foreign ministry.

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