UAE Confirms Netanyahu's Four-Hour Abu Dhabi Visit as Riyadh Reaches Out Over the Yemen Rift

The Emirati state news agency WAM confirmed on Monday that President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and discussed bilateral relations, Dawn reported. BBC Hindi reported that Netanyahu's office said he traveled with his wife, and that Abu Dhabi did not acknowledge the visit until two days after it took place. Israeli accounts put the length of the visit at about four hours. Al Jazeera reported that the trip came as Netanyahu faces domestic pressure ahead of Israel's October Knesset elections.

Separately, Saudi Arabia's defense minister invited Emirati Vice President Mansour bin Zayed to the kingdom, the first public offer of a face-to-face meeting since relations between the two governments deteriorated over Yemen, according to Dawn. Officials and ministers on both sides exchanged public criticism in July.

Both developments come while the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted and Gulf oil exporters are absorbing the resulting costs. The delay in the Emirati confirmation of the Netanyahu visit, and Saudi Arabia's decision to make its invitation public, both reflect governments managing domestic audiences that do not uniformly support either realignment.