Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates at the weekend to ask the country’s leader, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to deny media reports that he had warned Israel of an imminent Hamas threat before the militant group’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

Netanyahu held an hour-long meeting with the Emirati president on Sunday, according to two people briefed on the visit, which was first revealed by Israel’s Channel 12. He flew to Abu Dhabi on a private plane on Sunday morning, spent most of the day there and returned to Israel the same day.

A person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that the talks centred on an article published earlier this month by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. It reported that the UAE leader had warned Netanyahu of an impending Hamas attack shortly before the 7 October incursion, which triggered the war in Gaza.

According to the Haaretz investigation, Sheikh Mohamed told Netanyahu during a 45-minute call, held 10 days before the attack, that then Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major operation against Israel. Former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar and former military chief of staff Herzi Halevi both told the paper they had never been informed of the warning. The New York Times said on Friday that two sources, including a person who had spoken directly with the Emirati president, had confirmed the account.

The same sources said Netanyahu asked Sheikh Mohamed to deny the report, as the prime minister’s office had done almost immediately after its publication. Netanyahu has called the claim “an absolute lie” and has threatened legal action against Haaretz.

The UAE’s foreign ministry has not commented on reports of the meeting, but says it maintains “open and direct lines of communication” with Israel and shares “all relevant information”. Earlier this month, the ministry said it did not comment on media speculation about conversations between leaders, though it stopped short of denying that the call took place.

An Israeli source told CNN that Iran dominated the agenda, an area where the two countries have deepened their cooperation. The visit comes exactly one month before Israel’s general election on 27 October.