Israeli military chief secretly visited UAE during war with Iran: Israeli state media

Jerusalem, May 15 Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir and other senior officers secretly visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the recent war with Iran, Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported on Friday.

The channel said that during his visit, Zamir met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and senior security officials.

The channel did not specify the exact date of the visit during the war, which broke out on February 28 and lasted until a ceasefire on April 8, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced that he had secretly visited the UAE during the war and met with the UAE President.

However, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that Netanyahu had visited the country.

Previous media reports said that the chief of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, and the head of Israel's domestic security agency Shin Bet, David Zini, also secretly visited the UAE during the war.

Kan noted that the visits indicate a strengthening of ties between Israel and the UAE.

The UAE has, over the past few years, emerged as one of Israel’s most important regional partners following the normalisation agreements signed under the Abraham Accords. Trade, technology cooperation, tourism and intelligence-sharing between the two countries have steadily expanded despite periodic unrest across the region.

​However, Netanyahu’s reported secret trip suggests that discussions may have moved beyond routine diplomatic engagement.

Sources familiar with regional affairs suggest the talks may have focused on security coordination, regional stability, economic partnerships and the evolving geopolitical landscape in West Asia.

​Political commentators in Israel described the development as one of the most sensitive diplomatic moves undertaken by Netanyahu in recent months.

The visit comes at a time when the Middle East is witnessing rapidly shifting alliances, growing security concerns and renewed diplomatic engagement among regional powers.

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