Saudi Arabia Denies Reports of Attending Israel-UAE Meeting

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday denied reports that its representatives attended a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.

Israeli journalist Dror Balazada claimed on social media on Monday that Saudi representatives took part in an expanded meeting following Netanyahu’s talks with Sheikh Mohammed. The discussions reportedly covered security cooperation, Iran, the Houthis and regional defence systems.

A Saudi source told Arab News that reports of a Saudi representative attending the meeting were untrue and said no meetings involving representatives of other countries took place.

A Jordanian official source also denied any Jordanian participation, saying the reports in the Israeli media were motivated by electoral considerations linked to Netanyahu.

Netanyahu visited Abu Dhabi on Sunday and met with Sheikh Mohammed, with the Emirates News Agency reporting that the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.

Three senior Israeli officials told Reuters that the meeting between Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed lasted six hours and focused primarily on Iran.