Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu awaits the start of a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet, also attended by US President Joe Biden, on Oct. 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Credit: Archive photo Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
BEIRUT — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only met with high-ranking Emirati officials during his "secret" visit to the United Arab Emirates, but also held additional political meetings, according to the Israeli daily Maariv, which provided no further details.
The Israeli newspaper reports that the visit took place on March 26 in the city of Al Ain, and that it was agreed between both sides that Benjamin Netanyahu and the president of the Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), would later release statements and photos of the meeting.
On the evening of May 13, the Israeli prime minister's office surprised observers by announcing in a brief statement, that "in the midst of the ongoing" U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran, the prime minister had quietly traveled to the UAE to meet with MBZ, without providing further details on the timing of the visit.
An Israeli source involved in the matter, quoted by Maariv, said that in Abu Dhabi there was neither anger nor an official protest, and that the incident did not damage relations between the two countries.
