Netanyahu Threatens Lawsuit Over Report of UAE Warning

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to sue the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and its journalists over a report alleging that United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed warned him of an imminent Hamas-led attack prior to October 7, 2023. Haaretz stated it stands by its reporting, which cited senior foreign sources and an upcoming book detailing the alleged warning. Netanyahu's office has categorically denied the report, asserting that reviews of official records found no trace of such a call with the UAE president and describing the story as a fabrication. The controversy stems from a Haaretz report published on September 8, 2026, which claimed that in late September 2023, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed engaged in a 45-minute encrypted phone call with Netanyahu. According to the report, bin Zayed warned that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was preparing a "terrifying operation" or "earthquake" that could destabilize the region and threaten normalization agreements. Haaretz based its reporting on accounts from three senior foreign sources and details from an upcoming book titled "Hostages 843 Days of Abandonment" by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval.