The United Arab Emirates said Thursday it \u201cdenies reports\u201d that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the country, after Netanyahu\u2019s office said he had met with the UAE president during the war with Iran.<\/p>\n
Netanyahu\u2019s office said <\/a>on Wednesday he had \u201cpaid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates\u201d during the war, \u201cwhere he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan\u201d.<\/p>\n \n <\/a>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n The announcement came a day after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced<\/a> that Israel had sent its Iron Dome air-defence systems, plus personnel to operate them, to the UAE during the war with Iran.<\/p>\n While stopping short of confirming Huckabee\u2019s comments, Netanyahu\u2019s office said the visit \u201cmarked a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates\u201d.<\/p>\n The UAE did not directly deny any such visit, referring to \u201creports\u201d of a visit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United Arab Emirates denies reports circulating regarding an alleged visit by Netanyahu to the UAE, or receiving any Israeli military delegation in the country,\u201d its foreign ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UAE reaffirms that its relations with Israel are public and\u2026 are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements. Accordingly, any claims regarding unannounced visits or undisclosed arrangements are entirely unfounded unless officially announced by the relevant authorities in the UAE,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n