Netanyahu's UAE visit centered on Iran, not Yemen war, officials say
Israel and the UAE confirmed Sunday's meeting took place, but their own accounts describe a focus on bilateral ties and Iran, not Yemen.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a previously unacknowledged visit to the UAE on Sunday, according to CNN, which cited confirmations from both Israel and the UAE's state news agency, WAM. Netanyahu's office said the meeting centered on strengthening bilateral relations and regional challenges. An Israeli source told CNN the discussion was dominated by Iran, not Yemen or the Houthis.
Al Mayadeen reported that Netanyahu traveled to the UAE to press Abu Dhabi to resume participation in the war against Yemen. That characterization is not supported by the confirmed accounts from Israel or the UAE, both of which describe the visit's purpose in different terms, according to CNN and the Khaleej Times.
Netanyahu's office said he was accompanied by the head of the National Security Council, the head of Mossad, his military secretary and his foreign policy adviser, according to the Organiser, which cited the Prime Minister's Office. Israeli media reported that representatives from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, Qatar and Morocco were also present, Middle East Eye reported. A complaint was filed with Israel's military censor after Channel 12 disclosed the trip before the delegation had returned home, the Organiser reported, citing the Prime Minister's Office.
A direct push for the UAE to rejoin the Yemen campaign, if confirmed, would mark a real shift from where things stand. Abu Dhabi has so far stuck to defensive rhetoric on Hormuz and shipping safety, while the Houthis have steadily consolidated control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea coast, and the UAE's own infrastructure posture has been adjusting to reduce exposure to regional strikes rather than court them. Were Netanyahu to draw the UAE back into active operations, it would raise the odds of renewed Gulf-Houthi confrontation just as diplomatic channels around Yemen and Hormuz were nominally still open, reversing the UAE's recent posture of managing risk rather than adding to it. That would argue for a more bearish read on regional stability and a higher risk premium in oil. But the Yemen framing so far comes from a single outlet, and the confirmed statements from Israel and the UAE describe a different meeting altogether.