Overview
- Netanyahu’s office said this week he quietly met UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed in March and called the encounter a breakthrough in ties.
- The UAE foreign ministry rejected the claim hours later, saying relations with Israel are conducted openly under the Abraham Accords and not through undisclosed visits.
- Open‑source posts noted two Israeli business jets made a brief round trip to Al‑Ain the same night, a data point cited by reporters as circumstantial and still unproven.
- The U.S. ambassador to Israel confirmed this week that Israel sent Iron Dome air‑defense batteries and personnel to the UAE, marking rare deployment of the system outside Israel.
- Israeli outlets reported visits to the UAE by the Mossad chief, the Shin Bet chief, and the IDF chief of staff during the war with Iran, as the Emirates faced heavy missile and drone strikes that even cut gas processing capacity.