Netanyahu under fire over report UAE warned of October 7 attack

The United Arab Emirates has refused to engage in Israel's political dispute surrounding allegations that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Hamas' plans for a major attack on October 7. UAE officials told reporters that it is not their role to deny every media report published in Israel. The UAE Foreign Ministry issued an official statement refusing to comment on the speculation surrounding the alleged conversation between the two countries.

However, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office strongly denied the report, stating that no warning was given to Netanyahu before October 7. The statement emphasized that any relevant information would have been communicated through intelligence channels between the two countries. Netanyahu himself tweeted the official denial, asserting that the press reports are false and that no warning had been given.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is close to bin Zayed, reportedly confirmed the UAE warning to Caspit. Caspit argued that the fact that Abu Dhabi officials did not quickly deny the report further strengthened its credibility. He also linked the report to earlier warnings from Egypt before the attack, suggesting that warnings from outside actors had accumulated in the weeks leading up to the assault.

The credibility of the UAE warning report remains disputed. Caspit called for waiting to hear from former CIA director William Burns, who the report suggests was also involved in the warnings from bin Zayed. Magal, however, rejected the argument that such a conversation would have left records, suggesting it was difficult to believe Netanyahu would deny the conversation if it had indeed taken place.