• Israeli PM Netanyahu made a secret visit to the UAE during the Iran war.
• The meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed is seen as a historic breakthrough.
• Israel deployed Iron Dome defense systems to the UAE amid escalating tensions.
• The UAE has been a primary target of Iranian strikes during the conflict.
• Relations between Israel and the UAE have strengthened since the Abraham Accords in 2020.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently made a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), meeting with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. This visit, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, occurred during the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, and it reportedly marked a "historic breakthrough" in relations between the two nations, according to statements from both Israeli and Emirati sources CBS News, Reuters, India Times, and South China Morning Post.

The meeting took place in Al-Ain, an oasis city near the Oman border, and lasted several hours, sources revealed. Netanyahu's office emphasized the significance of this meeting amidst Iran's intensified military actions, which have aimed at the UAE following US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets that began in late February BBC, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Eye.

In conjunction with this diplomatic meeting, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed that Israel had deployed Iron Dome air defense systems and personnel to operate them in the UAE, marking a substantial military partnership between the nations as they confront mutual threats from Iran CBS News, Reuters, and India Times.

The UAE, which has faced numerous Iranian missile and drone attacks throughout the conflict, has pursued a strategy of bolstering its defenses by aligning more closely with Israel. This grew directly from the Abraham Accords established in 2020, which opened diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations South China Morning Post and BBC.