Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to publicize a wartime visit to the United Arab Emirates has drawn a swift denial from Abu Dhabi and spotlighted the careful discretion that typically governs ties between the two countries amid the broader regional conflict with Iran.
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, first drew attention to the strengthening military cooperation by confirming that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defense systems and personnel to help protect the UAE from Iranian attacks. Netanyahu then revealed he had quietly traveled to Abu Dhabi during the war, prompting the Gulf nation's official WAM news agency to issue a public denial of the reports.
The agency stated that the country's 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." It also rejected claims that any Israeli military delegation had been received in the UAE.
Analysts noted that the disclosure forced the UAE into an uncomfortable spotlight. "It complicates Abu Dhabi's wartime-frame posture by forcing it into the open — which is why the denial was issued so quickly and worded so carefully," said Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi Arabia-based scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.
The UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, becoming the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to establish full diplomatic ties. Despite the formal agreement, UAE rulers have preferred to keep the partnership relatively low-key given widespread regional antipathy toward Israel, which intensified after the Gaza war began following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed over 72,700 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants. The conflict has expanded across the region, with Israel conducting operations against Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen, Qatar and Syria.
"We are the ugly duckling of the Middle East," said Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. Diker, who has maintained extensive contacts with officials in Abraham Accords countries, said regional partners consistently requested that cooperation remain under the radar.
The military dimension of the Israel-UAE relationship became particularly visible during the recent war with Iran. Israel gained a defensive position closer to its main adversary, while the UAE obtained access to advanced Israeli technology such as the Iron Dome system. Bilateral trade has also grown steadily since normalization in 2020.
Netanyahu, facing domestic political challenges ahead of elections, appears to have calculated that highlighting these ties could strengthen his image as a regional power broker and improve his standing with President Donald Trump. Israel is reportedly in talks with Azerbaijan about joining the Abraham Accords.
However, other regional powers have taken a more cautious stance. Saudi Arabia has maintained communication channels with Tehran and supported Pakistan's mediation efforts. "The aim is not to take a posture on Israel, per se. It is to refuse entanglement in a war whose dynamics Riyadh did not set and cannot control," Alghannam said.
Alghannam added that Riyadh's approach signals a preference for regional solutions: "Riyadh discussing the full range of options openly, with partners, without locking into one track, is itself a strategic signal. The regional security architecture will be designed regionally, not inherited from whatever Washington and Tehran negotiate bilaterally."
Officials in the UAE have emphasized that all cooperation occurs within the publicly declared framework of the Abraham Accords. Reports of additional Israeli security visits during the war were also denied by the WAM agency.
The episode illustrates the delicate balance Gulf states maintain between expanding security and economic partnerships with Israel and managing domestic and regional sensitivities. While Netanyahu may view the publicized ties as a model for future normalization, the UAE's response suggests that many Arab governments continue to favor quiet diplomacy over public displays.
Whether additional countries will follow the UAE's path remains uncertain, particularly as the war's aftermath continues to shape regional alignments and as Saudi Arabia pursues its own independent diplomatic strategy.