Israeli media reported on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an unannounced one-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The reported trip comes as the Middle East remains embroiled in the Israel-US war with Iran, which began in February. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Israeli television channels 12 and KAN, along with the newspapers Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post, reported the visit, according to an AFP news agency report. Netanyahu’s office had not immediately issued a comment.

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The reported trip comes as West Asia remains embroiled in the Israel-US war with Iran, which began in February.

As per the report by Haaretz, Mohamed bin Zayed spoke with Netanyahu about a week and a half before the attack and had warned him that Hamas was preparing a major operation.

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About ten days before the attack, Netanyahu was reportedly warned during a 45-minute conversation that then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation against Israel.

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Former military commander Gadi Eisenkot, who has emerged as a leading rival to Netanyahu ahead of the October 27 elections, accused the prime minister of attempting to evade responsibility for the security failures.

“Netanyahu received dozens of warnings about October 7 and ignored them all,” Eisenkot wrote on X, adding that he was “unfit.”

The Abraham Accords were initially brokered by Donald Trump during his first term as US president. According to Reuters, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the agreements in 2020, becoming the first Arab countries in 25 years to formally establish diplomatic relations with Israel and breaking a long-standing regional taboo.

(With inputs from AFP)