Netanyahu's Secret Visit to UAE Leaked, Putting Shin Bet and Mossad on High Alert
Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, has demanded that legal action be taken against Channel 12 regarding its reporting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United Arab Emirates. The demand was submitted to the head of military censorship on Monday.
According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) late Monday night, Shin Bet considers the report a serious breach of censorship. Shin Bet stated that the timing of the report—which aired at 21:38—endangered the security of the Prime Minister as well as troops in the field, as the Prime Minister’s aircraft was still far outside Israeli borders at the time.
The aircraft landed approximately one hour later, at 22:27. Shin Bet added that the report revealed operational methods that place future operations at a much higher level of risk.
The PMO stated that the safety of the Prime Minister, his wife, and the delegation—including the head of the National Security Council, Major General Guy Markizano, the military secretary, the head of the Shin Bet security division, as well as the flight crew and security team—were all placed in danger.
Meanwhile, Mossad’s assessment identified the information leak as a serious security threat. Mossad concluded that the publication of the news should be categorised as a serious incident jeopardising the security of the State of Israel.
Secret Visit
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew secretly to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. This was reported by Channel 12, citing two anonymous sources. Similar reports were provided by Reuters, quoting an unnamed senior Israeli official.
Netanyahu flew via private aircraft to Abu Dhabi shortly after midday, landing at 15:10. According to Channel 12, Netanyahu spent four hours in the UAE.
The Prime Minister’s Office, the UAE Embassy in Israel, and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This visit takes place amidst controversy in Israel regarding warnings delivered by the UAE leader, known by the initials MBZ, to Netanyahu one and a pre-week before the Hamas military operation on 7 October 2023. Haaretz reported this month that bin Zayed had warned the Prime Minister that the Palestinian armed group was planning a major operation against Israel. The report noted that this warning was not passed on to Israeli intelligence or military agencies. A source from the UAE confirmed to The Times of Israel that bin Zayed had called Netanyahu to convey the warning.