The leader of Israel held covert discussions with the military commander of eastern Libya, Khalifa Haftar, during a visit to Abu Dhabi on September 27, according to the Italian newspaper Il Foglio. This meeting occurred as part of a broader trip that was the first time since normalization in 2020 that the UAE state news agency officially acknowledged the Israeli prime minister's presence in the country. While the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated the visit focused on bilateral relations and regional security, reports from Il Foglio suggest a secret intelligence and military agenda.

Benjamin Netanyahu was accompanied by the director of Mossad and the head of the National Security Council for talks that involved representatives from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Morocco, and Libya to coordinate against Iranian aggression. The trip was clouded by allegations that Netanyahu pressured UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed to deny reports that Abu Dhabi had warned Israel of the October 7 attacks. The Israeli government has dismissed those specific claims as "fake news," maintaining that the mission dealt exclusively with regional stability and strengthening ties.