Netanyahu to sue Haaretz, UAE says 'no comment' on MbZ 7 October warning

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday plans to sue Haaretz over its report that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned him of an imminent Hamas-led attack before 7 October 2023, while Abu Dhabi stopped short of denying the claim.

Netanyahu said he would file a libel lawsuit against the Israeli newspaper, journalist Shlomi Eldar and "other parties" over the investigation, which alleged that Mohammed bin Zayed personally warned him around a week and a half before the Hamas-led attack.

Meanwhile, the UAE foreign ministry said it does not comment on "media stories or speculation regarding conversations between government leaders", without explicitly denying that the call took place.

The ministry added that UAE and Israeli government bodies have maintained "open and direct channels of communication" since relations were established more than five years ago.

"When necessary, all relevant intelligence information has been, and continues to be, communicated between the relevant bodies," it said.

The response was described by Israel's public broadcaster Kan as ambiguous, with the outlet noting that it did not contain an explicit denial of the report.

Kan also reported that Netanyahu had sought a denial from the UAE following the Haaretz investigation.

Netanyahu's office has categorically rejected the account, saying no warning had been delivered to the prime minister by the UAE before 7 October.

On Wednesday, however, Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper cited a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official as saying Abu Dhabi had indeed passed Israel a warning about the possibility of a "large and imminent operation" by Hamas.

The unnamed official, described as having detailed knowledge of the covert relationship between Israel and the UAE and contacts before 7 October, said the information came from a "very reliable" source and was treated with "great seriousness" by Emirati officials.

According to the report, the warning reached Israel "a short time" before the Hamas-led attack and indicated that something could happen "very soon", although it did not include a specific date.

The official declined to say whether the intelligence explicitly referred to then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar or how the warning was passed to Israel.

He also refused to confirm whether Mohammed bin Zayed personally telephoned Netanyahu about the intelligence.

Yedioth said the official’s account nevertheless corroborated at least part of the original Haaretz report.

Netanyahu threatens legal action

Announcing the planned lawsuit on Wednesday, Netanyahu said the Prime Minister’s Office, National Security Council and military secretariat had thoroughly examined records from the period and found no trace of the alleged call.

He said diplomatic calls between himself and Mohammed bin Zayed are conducted through an unusual secure system in which an Emirati representative arrives at the Prime Minister's Office with a dedicated encrypted device.

Netanyahu said investigators had checked both his call records and records of entries to his office during the relevant period and found no record of an Emirati representative entering.

"There is no possibility of entering the Prime Minister’s Office without documentation and registration by the security authorities on site," Netanyahu said.

Haaretz said it stood by its reporting.

Yedioth, however, reported further details about the highly secretive communications between the two leaders, saying their calls are not conducted through Israeli communications systems.

According to the newspaper, an Emirati intelligence representative brings a new phone to Netanyahu's office with a dedicated application installed on it whenever a call is arranged.

The device is handed to Netanyahu before the representative leaves the room, after which Mohammed bin Zayed calls. The phone is destroyed immediately after the conversation, according to the report.

Kan similarly reported that an Emirati representative personally brings Netanyahu a dedicated phone for calls with the UAE president.

Sources who spoke to the broadcaster said Mohammed bin Zayed had himself subsequently told several senior figures about the alleged conversation.

Senior Israeli officials were surprised by the reported call, Kan said, with some only learning of it following the Haaretz investigation.

Haaretz reported on Tuesday, citing three senior foreign sources, that Mohammed bin Zayed called Netanyahu in the final days of September 2023 and warned him that Sinwar was planning a major operation against Israel.

The newspaper said the call lasted around 45 minutes and that the UAE leader feared the expected action could cause bloodshed, destabilise the region and damage the Abraham Accords.

Netanyahu reportedly responded "relatively calmly", saying he believed Hamas intended to act in the occupied West Bank and assuring Mohammed bin Zayed that Israel was prepared for all scenarios.

The investigation alleged that Netanyahu did not pass the warning on to Israel’s security chiefs.