Jerusalem, May 16: Israeli Army Chief Eyal Zamir and other senior officials covertly visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the recent conflict with Iran, according to a report by Israel’s Kan TV news.
During this visit, Zamir reportedly met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and several senior security officials. However, the channel did not specify the exact date of this visit. The conflict began on February 28 and concluded with a ceasefire on April 8.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that he also made a secret trip to the UAE during the conflict and met with the president. However, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry denied that Netanyahu visited the country.
Previous media reports indicated that David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, and David Gini, head of the domestic security agency Shin Bet, also made covert visits to the UAE around the same time.
Kan TV noted that these visits indicate the strengthening ties between Israel and the UAE. In recent years, the UAE has become a crucial regional partner for Israel, especially following the normalization agreements under the Abraham Accords. Cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, tourism, and intelligence sharing has been on the rise, despite occasional tensions in the region.
However, Netanyahu’s alleged secret visit suggests that discussions may have progressed beyond mere diplomatic relations. Experts on regional affairs believe that these meetings likely addressed issues such as security coordination, regional stability, economic partnerships, and the changing geopolitical landscape of West Asia.
Israeli political analysts have described this development as one of Netanyahu’s most sensitive diplomatic moves in recent months.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
