When, on the afternoon of Sunday, September 27, it became known in the international media that Netanyahu had made an unscheduled trip that same day to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, for a private meeting with the president of the Arab country, Bin Zayed. Israeli media and local analysts linked this development to the numerous American reports that had appeared over the previous two days, which provided additional details about the contacts Netanyahu was reported to have had with key figuresin his immediate inner circle and the intelligence services just a few days before the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Specifically, as early as last Friday, September 25, the New York Times had brought back into the spotlight information previously published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz regarding a phone call between Netanyahu and Bin Zayed, during which the latter allegedly warned of an imminent Hamas attack from Gaza. This was followed by an extensive report, also from the U.S., in *The Atlantic* about similar contacts for the same purpose, this time featuring the head of Egypt’s intelligence services, Abbas Kamal, linking him to a 67-minute lightning visit to Tel Aviv’s international airport, just 11 days before the Hamas attack, during which he allegedly provided a senior Israeli official with further details about what was to happen on October 7. On Sunday morning, the Wall Street Journal added further details about the warnings that Netanyahu and his inner circle reportedly received, with the result that all Israeli daily newspapers published that day fully adopted the reports coming out of the U.S.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The denials coming from Netanyahu’s inner circle, as well as those issued by the Emirati president, did not seem to convince the opinion columnists of all the daily newspapers published in Israel. Netanyahu’swas interpreted as an attempt to put a stop to embarrassing leaks that would damage the Israeli Prime Minister’s image in the run-up to the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 27.
A flurry of flight arrivals in Abu Dhabi on the same day and at roughly the same time
However, an analysis of flight schedules for Sunday, September 27, to Abu Dhabi International Airport during the hours Netanyahu was there, revealed some very interesting details.
Specifically, the aircraft carrying Netanyahu—which also had the head of the Mossad and the special advisor on military affairs from his private office on board— landed in Abu Dhabi at 4:13 p.m. local time. A few minutes later, at 4:18 p.m., a Russian government aircraft (A7-MHH) landed at the same airport. Just ten minutes later, at 4:28 p.m. local time, a Libyan aircraft (P4-KH5i9) arrived in Abu Dhabi that had taken off from the area controlled by Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya. Finally, much earlier—two hours before Netanyahu’s arrival in the UAE—a Moroccan C-130 (CN-AOF) that had departed from Morocco landed in Abu Dhabi.
The public disclosure of these flight details and the ensuing commentary on social media ultimately prompted both Netanyahu’s private office as well as the press office of the UAE Presidency, to confirm that Netanyahu and Bin Zayed met in Abu Dhabi and that “discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations”—a vague statement. The Israeli side, however, appeared somewhat more forthcoming to the local media. Sources close to Netanyahu reported that the meeting took place at the invitation of the Emirati President and lasted more than six hours.
Who attended the meeting in Abu Dhabi
This afternoon, the private Israeli Channel 14, citing sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, reported that the meeting held on the afternoon of September 27 in Abu Dhabi was attended—in addition to Netanyahu and the President of the UAE—by representatives of the governments of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, and the Libyan government of Khalifa Haftar. Notably absent from this meeting were Turkey and Pakistan; the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, perhaps hoping to “fill the void” with his equally sudden, brief visit to Abu Dhabi the very next day, on Monday, September 28.
The details of the extremely interesting multilateral meeting in the Emirati capital were not disclosed—except for its duration, which, as reported in Israel, lasted more than six hours. It is most likely that leaks will surface in the coming days that may or may not shed light on the situation. In any case, the meeting took place, and there were many participants.
Netanyahu: Signs that an attack on Israel is imminent in the coming weeks
Equally interesting is the video message from Benjamin Netanyahu posted this afternoon, September 29, on his official account on the X platform. In the video, which was filmed at the Tel Nof Air Force Base, Netanyahu states that ‘there are indications that in the weeks leading up to October 27, the day of the parliamentary elections, the country’s enemies are preparing to launch an attack against Israel.” In the same message, Netanyahu issues clear warnings, threatening that Israel will respond harshly.
Opposition leaders described the video as “yet another public relations ploy by Netanyahu” aimed at boosting his standing in the polls. Following a related comment by the leader of the official opposition, Yair Lapid, a private meeting with Netanyahu was scheduled for 11:30 p.m. tonight, September 29, immediately following the conclusion of a closed-door meeting chaired by the Israeli Prime Minister with a small number of ministers and attended by senior officials from the military and intelligence services. The uniqueness of tonight’s meetings, as highlighted by state media, is that their location has been classified as undisclosable by a special decision issued by the military censorship authority.
Watch Gabriel Haritos’s segment on tonight’s main newscast with Dimitra Makrygianni:
