New York Times Investigation Confirms UAE Warning to Netanyahu Before Oct 7
A New York Times investigation confirms that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a major Hamas attack prior to October 7, an alert Netanyahu reportedly did not share with defense chiefs.
New York Times Investigation Confirms MBZ Warned Netanyahu Ahead of Oct 7
Weeks after initial reports regarding a pre-October 7 warning from United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The New York Times has published an investigation confirming the call took place. According to sources familiar with the matter, the UAE leader warned Netanyahu of a major upcoming attack planned by Hamas.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly denied that the conversation occurred, and the UAE government declined Israeli pressure to issue a clear denial of the original reports. The new investigation, co-authored by journalists including Ronen Bergman, provides additional verification based on multiple high-level sources.
"Sheikh Mohammed told Burns that during the phone call he discussed with Netanyahu an impending threat of violence in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip by Hamas."
According to the report, five former senior Israeli defense officials stated that Netanyahu failed to pass the warning along to the defense establishment. Furthermore, a protocol from an October 1, 2023 security discussion shows Netanyahu made no mention of the warning from bin Zayed, instead emphasizing the need to maintain quiet in Gaza to protect potential normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia.
Lack of Disclosure in Internal IDF Probes
The investigation notes that the warning was omitted from internal military probes regarding the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre. While the report highlights critical intelligence warnings ignored across the entire Israeli security establishment prior to the attack, it underscores the significance of the unshared diplomatic warning from the Gulf leader.
