Netanyahu secretly visited UAE during war with Iran

Netanyahu secretly visited UAE during war with Iran7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleIone WellsJerusalemGetty ImagesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates and met its president during the war with Iran, his office has confirmed.The meeting with the UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed resulted in a "historic breakthrough" in relations between Israel and the UAE, according to a statement released by Netanyahu's office.On Tuesday, the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Israeli Iron Dome air defence batteries had been sent to the UAE during the war.Iran hit several targets in the Emirates during the conflict, and Tehran has repeatedly criticised the country for what it sees as closer ties the the US and Israel.On Wednesday Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the UAE remained committed to political solutions and diplomacy but said his country had a right to defend itself.Reuters quoted a source as saying the meeting between Netanyahu and the Emirati president took place in Al-Ain, an oasis city near the border with Oman, and lasted several hours.The Iron Dome is an advanced Israeli air defence system used to intercept and destroy a range of aerial missiles, rockets and drones.Huckabee said the Iron Dome deployment was the result of an "extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel" based on the Abraham Accords - a set of agreements that established normalised relations between Israel and several Arab countries during President Trump's first term.Israel and the US's war with Iran appears to have deepened those relations - and developed the alliance militarily too.ReutersAn adviser to Mohammed bin Zayed said the UAE remained committed to diplomacyDuring the war, Iran launched a series of missiles and drones on the UAE. On 10 May the UAE's Ministry of Defence said that air defence systems had engaged two drones launched from Iran and that the co...