Israel and the UAE have spent years building a security partnership that operates well below the level of their public diplomatic relationship. A dispute over whether Netanyahu made a secret visit to the UAE in March 2026 has exposed that cooperation in concrete terms: Israeli missile defense systems deployed on Emirati soil, and the heads of Israel’s two principal intelligence agencies traveling to Abu Dhabi during the recent conflict with Iran.
Israel announced a secret visit and a breakthrough; the UAE said neither happened
Netanyahu’s office announced that the prime minister had traveled to the UAE during the recent conflict with Iran and held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Israel described the outcome of those talks as a “historic breakthrough” in bilateral relations. A former Netanyahu spokesman added specific detail: the UAE president personally drove the prime minister in his own car from the airport to the palace.
The UAE foreign ministry pushed back sharply. Relations between the two countries, it stated, are conducted openly under the framework of the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered normalization agreements signed in 2020, and do not depend on unofficial arrangements. The ministry added that any claims of “undisclosed visits or secret arrangements” were without basis until formally confirmed by UAE authorities.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the meeting did take place on March 26, in the oasis city of Al Ain, near the Omani border, and lasted several hours. A senior Israeli official offered a candid explanation for the Emirati denial: Abu Dhabi does not want to be seen publicly alongside Netanyahu while Arab anger over Gaza remains high. “It is in their DNA to deny,” the official said. “It will not affect the tightening alliance.”
Israeli air defense systems and both intelligence chiefs were deployed to the UAE during the Iran conflict
According to Al Jazeera, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed that during the recent conflict, Israel deployed components of its Iron Dome air defense system, along with Israeli operators, to the UAE to protect against potential Iranian strikes. The Iron Dome, developed with significant US funding, is Israel’s short-range missile interception system; deploying it to a partner country, with Israeli military personnel to operate it, represents a substantial commitment of both hardware and personnel.
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David Barnea, the director of Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, traveled to the UAE at least twice during the war to coordinate military-related matters, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal. David Zini, the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security and counterintelligence agency, also visited the UAE during the conflict to increase coordination between the two countries’ security services, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan.
The Abraham Accords established formal ties, and Gaza has tested their durability without breaking them
The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020, made the UAE one of only a handful of Arab states to establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel. Since then, that relationship has expanded steadily into security and intelligence cooperation, driven by a shared concern over Iran.
Palestinian leaders criticized the Accords at the time of signing, arguing that Arab normalization with Israel weakened their negotiating position. That criticism has grown louder as Israeli military operations in Gaza have continued. The UAE sustained repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks throughout the recent conflict, including strikes on oil facilities, which sharpened Abu Dhabi’s immediate security priorities even as the political costs of visible Israeli alignment rose.
For the UAE, the resulting pressures pull in several directions at once. Abu Dhabi has built its global standing on being a reliable financial and trade hub, a reputation that depends on regional stability. Security cooperation with the United States and Israel provides protection against Iranian threats. Visibly deepening ties with Israel while Gaza remains under bombardment, however, carries diplomatic risks with Arab governments and publics across the region.
