Netanyahu made secret visit to UAE to meet with country's president

Exclusive World Netanyahu made secret visit to UAE to meet with country's president By Jennifer Jacobs, Jennifer Jacobs Senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News. Read Full Bio Jennifer Jacobs, James LaPorta James LaPorta National security coordinating producer James LaPorta is the national security coordinating producer for the CBS News' Washington bureau. He is a former U.S. Marine veteran infantryman and veteran of the Afghanistan war. Read Full Bio James LaPorta Updated on: May 13, 2026 / 1:11 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates recently, where he met with Mohammed bin Zayed, the country's president, sources told CBS News.Netanyahu's office later acknowledged the trip, saying in a statement that it "resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates."Spokespeople for the UAE did not immediately comment.News of the visit comes after the UAE carried out military strikes on Iran, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Monday. The UAE has not acknowledged that action publicly.Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense batteries and personnel to the UAE, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday. Sources confirmed the UAE received the defense systems. According to a U.S. official, Netanyahu traveled to the UAE in 2018 to meet with MBZ, as he is often called. The UAE was the first country to sign on to the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and four Arab nations. The War with Iran More Developer scraps Trump Tower Australia plans, citing Iran war