Iran center of Netanyahu, MBZ talks during Israeli PM's brief six-hour visit to UAE

At the time of publication, the United Arab Emirates had not issued an official statement about the visit, and the country's main media outlets had not yet reported on it.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent six hours on the ground in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday during a visit in which Iran was the main topic of discussion with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (MBZ), sources told The Jerusalem Post. The two leaders had also spoken several times by phone in the weeks leading up to the meeting.

The visit took place after Netanyahu applied heavy pressure on the Emiratis to arrange a meeting before the elections, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Emirati officials described the pressure as "particularly heavy," saying it included phone calls, efforts by Netanyahu's associates and international officials, and even hints concerning future security cooperation.

A date for an earlier visit had been set several days ago, and all preparations were complete. The visit was supposed to remain secret and be made public only after it had taken place, but it was canceled at the last minute.

"Everything was already ready, the delegation was organized, and a cancellation notice arrived shortly before takeoff," a source familiar with the matter told Maariv.

Emiratis 'reversed course,' claimed MBZ 'was not in the country,' source says

According to the source, the Emiratis "reversed course" at the last minute and claimed that MBZ "was not in the country." A subsequent check, however, indicated otherwise, showing that MBZ was in Abu Dhabi at the time in question.

Netanyahu's pressure also stems from a report that MBZ called him shortly before October 7 and issued an explicit warning of an "earthquake" in Gaza.

"It could be that the unofficial and non-explicit denial published in the Emirates on the eve of the holiday," a source familiar with the matter told Maariv, "was intended to compensate Netanyahu for the cancellation of his visit to the Emirates. At the moment, it is unclear whether Netanyahu will be able to visit there before the elections. MBZ does not want to take part in Netanyahu's campaign. Relations between the two have been strained for some time," the source added.

Israel pushed for trip, UAE has not confirmed visit

In any event, Israeli pressure to arrange the visit to the UAE continued throughout the period until the visit ultimately took place on Sunday.

However, as of publication, the United Arab Emirates had not issued an official statement about the visit, and the country's main media outlets had not yet reported on it.

The question now is whether the publication of the visit was coordinated with the Emiratis this time, or whether, once again, word of the visit was leaked in Israel against their wishes.