The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday denied reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the country after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday that he had paid a secret visit to the UAE during the current hostilities with Iran and had been welcomed by President Mohamed bin Zayed.
The UAE Foreign Ministry rejected the claim in a statement published on Thursday, also denying that any military delegation had been received.
It said that "any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE."
The ministry added that relations with Israel operate within the framework of the 2020 Abraham Accords and are not based on informal or opaque arrangements.
Netanyahu's office said, without providing additional details, that "this visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE."
Meanwhile, Iran strongly criticized the reported visit. State broadcaster IRIB said Tehran had been informed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about the trip “at the height of military confrontation.”
Araghchi, who is currently in India, described UAE policy as a "foolish gamble" and said that cooperation between the UAE and Israel was "inexcusable."
During his first term in office, US President Donald Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
