Netanyahu visited Abu Dhabi on Sunday, says Israeli official

The warning ⁠was not passed to Israeli intelligence agencies or the military, Haaretz reported. Netanyahu, ​who has denied the report and threatened legal action against the newspaper, is ​facing a tough reelection campaign. Opposition leaders have accused the prime minister of bearing responsibility for security failures that preceded Hamas' October 7 attack.

The UAE has declined to comment on the ​Haaretz report but has said that UAE and Israel have maintained "open and direct ​lines of communication" since establishing diplomatic relations in 2020. A UAE source previously ‌that ⁠the UAE discusses security matters with countries through the "relevant entities," but not "at the level of national leaders.

"Earlier this year, the UAE denied that President Sheikh Mohamed met with Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister's office said in May that Netanyahu ​had "secretly visited" the Gulf ​country and met ⁠with the president.

A source familiar with the meeting said at the time that Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed met in ​Al-Ain, an oasis city in Abu Dhabi along the country's ​border with ⁠Oman, on March 26.

Since coming under attack during the Iran war, the UAE has strengthened its relationships with the United States and Israel, with which it opened ties ⁠as ​a result of the 2020 Abraham Accords. The ​relationship with Israel gives UAE a lever for regional influence and a unique channel to Washington.