Former aide says Netanyahu received ‘royal welcome’ in UAE during secret wartime visit
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, Ziv Agmon, said on Thursday that Netanyahu was welcomed “with the honour reserved for kings” during a previously undisclosed wartime visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Agmon, who said he accompanied Netanyahu on the trip, described the visit as “top secret until today” and said UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, personally greeted the Israeli delegation in the emirate.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman and then-chief of staff Ziv Agmon before the war against Iran was launched on Feb. 28, 2025. (photo: Prime Minister of Israel on X)
“Sheikh bin Zayed, his family members and other dignitaries welcomed us and were happy to see the prime minister of Israel on their soil,” Agmon posted on Instagram.
According to Agmon, the Emirati leader personally drove Netanyahu from the aircraft to the palace in his own vehicle.
“The things the prime minister achieved during this amazing visit will be spoken about for generations,” Agmon wrote. “A tremendous success.”
The comments came a day after the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem announced that Netanyahu had “secretly visited” the UAE during “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury”, the joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran, describing the trip as a “historic breakthrough” in bilateral ties.
The UAE Foreign Ministry denied the claim, saying Abu Dhabi had not hosted Netanyahu or an Israeli military delegation during the war.
The UAE normalised ties with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords and has since expanded economic and security cooperation with Jerusalem.
