Why Netanyahu leaked his secret wartime visit to the UAE

NEWS SUMMARY

On March 26, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the UAE and met President Mohammed bin Zayed in Al-Ain, a trip confirmed by Israeli outlets and Netanyahu's former chief of staff. Netanyahu's office leaked the visit, reportedly to bolster his domestic standing ahead of elections and push the UAE towards greater public acknowledgement of their cooperation, which Abu Dhabi denied.

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Submitted by Ali Bakir on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 13:19 By going public with a meeting Abu Dhabi wanted kept quiet, Netanyahu trapped the Emiratis between domestic embarrassment and the regional cost of their Israel ties Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a ceremony in Jerusalem, Israel, 21 April 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/Pool/Reuters) On On 13 May, Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a brief yet dramatic statement saying that, during the war with Iran, the Israeli prime minister had "secr

Why Netanyahu leaked his secret wartime visit to the UAE

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