Israeli TV: 10 countries met with Netanyahu in Abu Dhabi, including Egypt
Israel’s Channel 14 reported that a broader meeting was held Sunday in Abu Dhabi during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE, with the participation of representatives from 10 countries, namely Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Morocco, Kuwait, Bahrain, Libya, and Oman, alongside Israel and the UAE.
Quoting an unnamed senior Emirati official, the channel said the gathering took place in two phases. It began with a bilateral meeting between Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan alongside representatives from both countries, before representatives of the other nations joined the wider session.
According to Channel 14, the talks addressed security and regional files, including Iran, Yemen and Ansar Allah (the Houthis), alongside security, intelligence and defense cooperation between Israel, the UAE and regional countries.
Discussions also covered regional security arrangements to confront “shared threats,” assistance to Saudi Arabia in security and intelligence, and the possibility of forming a new regional alliance and establishing an oil transport route bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Netanyahu’s visit to Abu Dhabi was initially secret, before news leaks forced his office to confirm it about 24 hours after its conclusion. However, his office limited itself at the time to saying the visit focused on strengthening bilateral relations and discussing regional challenges, without referencing a 10-nation meeting.
For its part, the UAE issued only a brief statement about the visit. The Emirates News Agency (WAM) stated that discussions between Bin Zayed and Netanyahu covered bilateral relations between the UAE and Israel and ways to enhance and develop them.
Channel 14’s account faced no denials from the participating countries except Saudi Arabia and Jordan. A senior Saudi official told Reuters that reports of a meeting between Saudi and Israeli officials were incorrect, without providing further details.
Meanwhile, an official Jordanian source told local broadcaster Al-Mamlaka on Tuesday that claims of a Jordanian representative attending were false, accusing media outlets close to Netanyahu of fabricating the story for electoral gain following his international isolation at UN meetings.
The disclosures coincided with a CNN report citing an Israeli source familiar with the visit, who said Netanyahu briefed Mohamed bin Zayed on new intelligence indicating Iran had resumed developing its nuclear program.
The source said the intelligence detailed new construction at the “Pickaxe Mountain” underground site, located about 225 kilometers south of Tehran, which Israel views as a potential location for rebuilding parts of Iran’s nuclear program.
CNN added that the meeting focused primarily on the Iranian file, with Netanyahu informing participants that Israel estimates Iran could launch an attack in the region in the coming weeks, amid escalating tensions involving Ansar Allah and the Straits of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandeb.