UAE on reported pre-Oct. 7 warning: 'all relevant intelligence' was shared with Israel
Emirati Foreign Ministry says it does not comment on reported conversations between government leaders; Netanyahu’s office calls the allegations “an absolute lie.”
The United Arab Emirates has declined to confirm or deny a report alleging that Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu shortly before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.
Responding to the report published by Haaretz, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government “does not comment on media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders.”
The ministry emphasized that the UAE’s engagement since October 7 has consistently focused on “de-escalation, regional stability and preventing violence.”
“UAE and Israeli government entities have maintained open and direct lines of communication since the inception of the relationship more than five years ago,” the statement said. “When necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities.”
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According to Haaretz, bin Zayed contacted Netanyahu in late September 2023 and warned him that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a major operation against Israel. The newspaper reported that the Emirati president urged Netanyahu to take the information seriously, but that the Israeli prime minister responded relatively calmly.
The report further alleged that Netanyahu did not relay the warning to senior members of Israel’s security establishment.
Netanyahu’s office categorically rejected the account.
“An absolute lie,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement to Haaretz. “Prime Minister Netanyahu did not speak with the president of the United Arab Emirates during the relevant period and did not receive any warning from him.”
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The UAE’s response neither substantiated the newspaper’s account nor directly denied that a warning had been conveyed. Instead, it reiterated that relevant intelligence has been shared through official channels when necessary.
Israel and the UAE established formal diplomatic relations in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Despite regional tensions since the outbreak of the war, the two governments have maintained diplomatic relations and direct communication.