UAE president met with Israeli PM on Sunday

The UAE president hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Emirates on Sunday, official media and Netanyahu's office said, a rare public acknowledgement at a time when the Israeli leader is seen by many in the region as the face of the Gaza war.

It appeared to be the first time Abu Dhabi acknowledged a meeting between Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Benjamin Netanyahu, confirming earlier Israeli media reports.

Netanyahu's office also confirmed the trip, saying the visit "focused on strengthening relations between the two countries and on regional challenges" amid delicate US-backed diplomacy on the Iran war.

"The two sides discussed bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to strengthen and develop them," the Emirati statement read.

The visit came weeks after a bombshell Israeli media report that the Emirati president had warned Netanyahu ahead of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which the Israeli premier did not pass on to the security services.

Netanyahu has denied the story.

According to Israeli media, Netanyahu flew to the UAE on Sunday to ask Sheikh Mohamed to deny having given him that warning in 2023.

Earlier on Monday, before Netanyahu's office formally confirmed the destination, Israel's domestic security service filed a complaint against a TV channel that reported the visit.

"This evening the Shin Bet filed a complaint with the Chief Military Censor, demanding that Channel 12 be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law following a severe censorship violation," read a statement from Netanyahu's office, which oversees the security agency.

The publication of his visit "endangered the lives of the prime minister and his wife, as well as the delegation, which included the head of the Mossad" spy agency and other top security officials, the PM's office said in its statement.

The visit was made public when the premier's plane was still outside Israeli airspace, it noted.

Mossad, which also operates under the Prime Minister's office, issued a similar condemnation, according to the statement.

In May, the UAE had denied reports that Netanyahu secretly visited the country, after Netanyahu's own office said he had met with the UAE president during the war with Iran.

The UAE is a top US ally in the region and one of a handful of Arab nations with official ties to Israel after signing the Abraham Accords during US President Donald Trump's first term in 2020.

The two countries grew closer during the conflict, with Israel reportedly sending its Iron Dome air defence systems, plus personnel to operate them, to the UAE.

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