Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced visit to Abu Dhabi and met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sunday, according to a senior Israeli official.
Netanyahu's office and the UAE's foreign ministry did not immediately comment, Reuters said.
The visit followed Haaretz's report this month that Sheikh Mohammed warned Netanyahu a week and a half before Oct. 7, 2023, that Hamas was planning a major operation. Haaretz reported the warning did not reach Israeli intelligence agencies or the military.
Netanyahu, who denied the report and threatened to sue the newspaper, faces a tough re-election campaign. Opposition leaders have blamed the prime minister for security failures preceding Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
The UAE declined comment on the Haaretz report but said it and Israel have maintained "open and direct lines of communication" since establishing diplomatic relations in 2020.
A UAE source previously told Reuters the UAE discusses security matters with countries through the "relevant entities," but not "at the level of national leaders."
Earlier this year, the UAE denied President Sheikh Mohamed met with Netanyahu after Netanyahu's office said in May Netanyahu "secretly visited" the Gulf country and met with the president.
A source familiar with the meeting said at the time Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed met March 26 in Al-Ain, an oasis city in Abu Dhabi along the country's border with Oman.
The UAE has strengthened its relationships with the U.S. 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.
