Israel has confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, travelled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, Sept. 27, for a meeting with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The trip had not been announced in advance. Netanyahu’s office said the visit took place at the Emirati president’s invitation and focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and discussing regional challenges.
Officials accompanied the prime minister
The Israeli delegation included the head of the National Security Council, the Mossad chief, Netanyahu’s military secretary and a foreign policy adviser. The meeting marked a high-level contact between the leaders as regional security concerns continue to shape relations across the Middle East.
Israeli media reports also said representatives from several Arab countries attended discussions in Abu Dhabi. Those reports named Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, Qatar and Morocco, though the public announcement from Netanyahu’s office did not list additional participants.
The UAE and Israel established formal diplomatic relations in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. Since then, the two governments have maintained public channels for cooperation, while developments in Gaza and wider regional tensions have kept their relationship in focus.
The visit’s confirmation provides few details about specific agreements or decisions made during the talks. The official account described the agenda broadly as bilateral relations and regional challenges.
