Israeli Prime Minister's Office: Netanyahu secretly visited UAE during war with Iran

(Patria) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates and met with its president during the war with Iran, his office said, the BBC reported.

The meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed resulted in a "historic breakthrough" in relations between Israel and the UAE, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office.

On Tuesday, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated that Israeli Iron Dome air defense batteries were sent to the UAE during the war.

Iran struck several targets in the Emirates during the conflict, and Tehran has repeatedly criticized the country for what it sees as closer ties with the United States and Israel.

On Wednesday, UAE Presidential Advisor Anwar Gargash said that the UAE remains committed to political solutions and diplomacy, but said his country has the right to defend itself.

Reuters quoted a source who said the meeting between Netanyahu and the UAE president took place in Al-Ain, an oasis city near the border with Oman, and lasted several hours.

Iron Dome is an advanced Israeli air defense system used to intercept and destroy a range of aerial projectiles, rockets, and drones.

Huckabee said the deployment of Iron Dome was a result of the "extraordinary relationship between the UAE and Israel" based on the Abraham Accords - a set of agreements that established relations between Israel and several Arab countries during the first term of President Trump.

The war between Israel and the US and Iran appears to have deepened these ties and developed a military alliance.

During the war, Iran launched missiles and drones at the UAE. The UAE Ministry of Defense announced on May 10 that air defense systems intercepted two drones launched from Iran, and that the country had intercepted a total of 551 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,265 drones since the outbreak of the war in late February, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the UAE also carried out attacks on Iran, which they have not yet publicly acknowledged, including an attack on a refinery on Iran's Lavan Island in early April.

In his statement, Gargash said the UAE did not seek war and had worked to avoid it, saying that "Arab-Iranian relations in the Gulf cannot be built on confrontation and conflict."

A ceasefire has been in effect between the US and Iran for about a month.