Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates to meet with the Emirati President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Wednesday.
This was the first publicly announced meeting between the two since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020.
"This visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE," the PMO said.
Later on Wednesday, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry released a statement denying that any visit from Netanyahu or any Israeli military officials took place.
“Any claims regarding undisclosed visits or arrangements are baseless unless issued by the relevant official authorities in the UAE,” the statement asserted, calling on media outlets to refrain from circulating “undocumented information” or using such information “to create political impressions.”
Israel coordinated with UAE during Iran war
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief David Zini also visited the UAE at various points during Operation Roaring Lion to coordinate regarding the war.
Another confirmation of Israeli-UAE cooperation during the war came from United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who last week said that Israel had sent the UAE Iron Dome batteries to defend itself against Iranian attacks.
The UAE was also behind some recent strikes on Iranian assets, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, including the attacks on Lavan Island's refinery at the beginning of April.
Shir Perets, Tobias Holcman, Shoshana Baker, and Goldie Katz contributed to this report.