Israel and UAE reaffirm security ties following flydubai flight incident
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan agreed to strengthen bilateral coordination on 30 September 2026 following an attempted hijacking on a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv.
Flight incident triggers diplomatic alert
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs distributed an urgent briefing to its diplomatic network following an attempted hijacking aboard a flydubai flight traveling from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv on the morning of 30 September 2026. Director General of the Ministry Eden Bar Tal contacted all Israeli ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions worldwide to convey the government position. Bar Tal instructed envoys to frame the incident as an attempted terrorist attack directed against Israeli nationals, the United Arab Emirates, and the framework of the Abraham Accords. All Israeli passengers aboard the aircraft returned safely to their homes later in the day.
Foreign ministers coordinate response
Following the flight incident, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar initiated a telephone discussion with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sa'ar updated his Emirati counterpart on the safe repatriation of the Israeli travelers, while Al Nahyan expressed satisfaction that all passengers had returned unharmed. Both ministers affirmed their determination to expand bilateral ties across all levels and pursue joint security coordination against extremist actors aiming to undermine regional stability.
During our warm conversation, we expressed our shared determination to strengthen relations between our countries at all levels and to cooperate against extremist elements that seek to harm security and undermine stability in the region.
- UAE and Israel normalize diplomatic ties under the Abraham Accords
- Saudi Arabia pauses normalization talks after the Gaza war begins
- Netanyahu meets UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi
- Attempted hijacking on flydubai flight prompts Israeli-Emirati diplomatic talks
Netanyahu visits Abu Dhabi for regional talks
The aviation security incident followed a high-level diplomatic visit to the United Arab Emirates earlier in the week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, 27 September 2026, where he held direct discussions with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Both Israeli and Emirati government officials confirmed that the bilateral meeting took place. Following those discussions, Israeli media reports circulating on social platform X claimed that Saudi Arabian officials joined an expanded meeting. The reported talks addressed joint security coordination, regional defense systems, Iranian activities, and Houthi operations in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia rejects meeting claims
A senior Saudi Arabian official denied all reports asserting that Saudi representatives attended the Abu Dhabi summit with Netanyahu. Speaking to AFP, the official firmly rejected claims of any bilateral or multilateral engagement, stating that Riyadh had no presence at the talks. The denial followed Israeli social media reports that Saudi officials took part in defense discussions involving Iran and Yemen.
No official meeting, no discussions, absolutely nothing. Our position on Israel remains unchanged.
The United Arab Emirates remains one of the few Arab states maintaining formal relations with Israel, having signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 during the first presidential term of Donald Trump. Saudi Arabia continues to condition any formal recognition of Israel on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Riyadh entered normalization discussions in 2023, but withdrew from the process following the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip initiated by the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.
