Netanyahu Interview Reveals Disclosed UAE Meeting Denied by Emirati Officials

The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the location was used to film an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes that aired the following night. Netanyahu rarely grants major broadcast interviews. The interview, conducted by Major Garrett, was Netanyahu's first major U.S. broadcast appearance since February 28.

It came 60 days after his only Hebrew-language press conference since the start of the latest war with Iran, which was conducted by Zoom and limited to eight questions. The full 60 Minutes interview ran one hour and 20 minutes and covered topics including security failures before the October 2023 Hamas attacks and the future of conflict with Iran.

Two days after the broadcast, Netanyahu's office released a statement saying that during the war he had secretly visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The statement described the visit as having led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE.

The UAE foreign ministry responded within hours. "The UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements," the Emirati foreign ministry said.

It added that media outlets should exercise accuracy and refrain from circulating unverified information or promoting misleading political narratives. The response constituted a direct public rebuttal of an official statement by another government. Israeli officials subsequently briefed local media that the meeting occurred at Al-Ain, an oasis city near the Oman border, on March 26 and lasted several hours.

Ziv Agmon, who was Netanyahu's spokesman at the time and acting chief of staff, posted on Facebook that the prime minister's account was accurate. Agmon wrote that he had accompanied Netanyahu on the visit and that the prime minister was received with honor in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE was one of the first Gulf nations to sign the Abraham Accords under the first Trump administration, normalizing relations with Israel. The country also maintains significant trade and financial ties with Iran. In the early stages of this year's conflict, the UAE expressed opposition to military action against Iran, citing the need to live alongside its neighbor after any U.S. involvement ended.

Reports have circulated that bases in Gulf countries, including the UAE, were used by the U.S. despite public refusals to support offensive operations. Other reports indicated Israel provided Iron Dome defenses to the UAE, a claim confirmed this week by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

Additional reports this week suggested both the UAE and Saudi Arabia participated in direct strikes on Iranian targets, which the UAE foreign ministry declined to confirm while pointing to prior statements asserting its right to respond militarily.

Netanyahu told the interviewer he had declared on the second day of the war that Israel would change the Middle East. He said Israel would share artificial intelligence and quantum developments with neighbors and that it was time for the country to reduce its dependence on annual U.S. military aid of $3.8 billion.

Israeli elections, as well as U.S. elections, are scheduled in the coming months. The public exchange over the alleged March 26 meeting has drawn reactions from Iran and highlighted the opaque nature of some Gulf states' foreign relations. Netanyahu also stated in the interview that Israel's conflicts with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon are not concluded.