The United Arab Emirates on Monday confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the country and met President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The confirmation came after Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had made an unannounced one-day visit to the UAE.

The UAE’s official news agency, WAM, said the two leaders “discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them". Israel later confirmed the visit, saying Netanyahu held talks on regional issues as US-backed diplomacy over Iran continued.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on X, “The visit focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges,” after the UAE confirmed the talks. Israeli outlets Channel 12, KAN, Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post had earlier reported that Netanyahu met Mohamed bin Zayed during the visit.

The trip came amid the ongoing Israel-US war against Iran and a fresh dispute over warnings linked to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. An Israeli media report recently claimed that Mohamed bin Zayed had warned Netanyahu about a possible attack 10 days before the October 7 assault.

The report further alleged that Netanyahu did not pass the warning to Israeli security officials. Netanyahu has denied the claims. Israeli media reported on Sunday that Netanyahu travelled to the UAE to meet Mohamed bin Zayed and seek a response to the allegations. Some reports also claimed that Netanyahu asked the Emirati president to deny that he had issued a warning before the attack.

The UAE and Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The agreement opened the way for closer political, economic and security cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office said Israel’s domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, had filed a complaint against Channel 12 over its report about the visit. The prime minister’s office accused the channel of violating military censorship rules. It said the report had put Netanyahu, his wife and members of the delegation at risk.

The delegation reportedly included Mossad chief David Barnea and other senior security officials. Netanyahu’s office said the visit became public while his aircraft was still outside Israeli airspace. It also said the Mossad had supported the complaint.