Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, September 30, denied reports that a representative from the Kingdom met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday, September 27.
Reuters and Arab News cited a senior Saudi official as saying that no Saudi representative attended a reported meeting involving Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. The official also denied reports of meetings involving representatives from other countries.
Ynet had reported that officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and Libya attended an expanded meeting in Abu Dhabi after Netanyahu met Sheikh Mohammed. The discussions were reportedly focused on Iran, the Houthis, security cooperation and regional air defence. Ynet later retracted the report, saying it could not confirm that the meeting had taken place.
Jordan also denied that any of its officials had attended the reported meeting.
Netanyahu’s reported request to UAE president
Netanyahu reportedly travelled secretly to the UAE over the weekend and asked Sheikh Mohammed to deny a separate report concerning a warning about a possible Hamas attack before October 7, 2023.
According to a person familiar with the matter, the discussion focused on a report published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz earlier this month. The report claimed that Sheikh Mohammed had warned Netanyahu about a looming Hamas attack shortly before the October 7 assault on southern Israel.
The person, who said they had first-hand knowledge of the meeting, said Netanyahu asked Sheikh Mohammed to deny the report.
The UAE and Israel confirmed Netanyahu’s visit, saying he met Sheikh Mohammed to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues. Three senior Israeli officials told Reuters that their meeting lasted six hours and focused on Iran.
Iran warns UAE
Netanyahu’s visit drew criticism from Iran, whose Foreign Ministry warned the UAE of what it described as “highly dangerous consequences”.
The ministry urged regional countries to remain vigilant, citing Israel’s hostility towards Iran and what it described as repeated threats against the Islamic Republic.
