Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United Arab Emirates to meet with the Emirati President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), at the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, the Prime Minister's Office announced on Wednesday.
This was the first publicly announced meeting between the two since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020.
"This visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE," the PMO said.
Later on Wednesday, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry released a statement denying that any visit from Netanyahu or any Israeli military officials took place.
“Any claims regarding undisclosed visits or arrangements are baseless unless issued by the relevant official authorities in the UAE,” the statement asserted, calling on media outlets to refrain from circulating “undocumented information” or using such information “to create political impressions.”
In turn, former PMO spokesperson, Ziv Agmon, who resigned in March, rebutted the UAE's denial, saying that he was in the meetings, and that Netanyahu was "received with royal honors."
"As someone who knows the UAE well and has lived there for long periods of time, and as someone who accompanied the PM on the historic trip that was top secret until today, I can say that the PM was received in Abu Dhabi with royal honors," Agmon wrote on Facebook.
"MBZ, his family, and other dignitaries welcomed us and were happy to see the Israeli prime minister on their soil. MBZ was very respectful of the PM, and personally drove the PM in his personal car from the plane to the palace," Agmon added.
"The things the PM concluded on this amazing visit will be talked about for generations to come. A great success!" he concluded.
Israel coordinated with UAE during Iran war
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief David Zini also visited the UAE at various points during Operation Roaring Lion to coordinate regarding the war.
Another confirmation of Israeli-UAE cooperation during the war came from United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who last week said that Israel had sent the UAE Iron Dome batteries to defend itself against Iranian attacks.
The UAE was also behind some recent strikes on Iranian assets, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, including the attacks on Lavan Island's refinery at the beginning of April.
Shir Perets, Tobias Holcman, and Shoshana Baker contributed to this report.