US-Israel-Iran War Live: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his lawyers to file a libel lawsuit against the left-wing Israeli newspaper Haaretz, journalist Shlomi Eldar, and other parties. Netanyahu claims the outlet published a “malicious fabrication” alleging that United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) personally warned him of a major Hamas attack roughly 10 days before October 7, 2023.
US-Israel-Iran War Live: Core Allegations & The Lawsuit
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The Book Excerpt: The controversy stems from a Haaretz report published on September 8, 2026. The report featured excerpts from an upcoming book, Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment, authored by Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval. The book claims MBZ had a 45-minute encrypted call with Netanyahu, warning him that Yahya Sinwar was planning an operation that could destabilise the region and threaten the Abraham Accords. The report also noted a subsequent unheeded warning from Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.
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Netanyahu’s Defamation Suit: Netanyahu’s office, the National Security Council, and the military secretary checked official logs and found no record of the conversation. Through a formal warning letter, Netanyahu has demanded that Haaretz remove the article, issue a public apology, and pay 1 million shekels (~$270,000 USD) in a settlement. If the paper refuses, he plans to file a formal lawsuit seeking over 2.5 million shekels.
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Haaretz’s Stance: Haaretz has publicly stated that it completely stands by its reporting.
US-Israel-Iran War Live: Disputed Logistical Details
Netanyahu argued that direct diplomatic calls with the UAE leader are always tightly documented and require a UAE representative to bring an encrypted device to the Prime Minister’s Office, leaving a security record. Conversely, a counter-report by Ynet journalist Ronen Bergman alleged that high-level communications between Netanyahu and MBZ were intentionally handled with extreme discretion outside of normal Israeli military systems. According to Bergman, a separate temporary phone with a dedicated application would be brought in and destroyed immediately after use to ensure total secrecy.
US-Israel-Iran War Live: Political Fallout & Reactions
The report has generated significant political friction ahead of Israel’s national elections scheduled for late October:
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Political Rivals: Opposition figures have seized on the story. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett publicly asserted that the Haaretz report regarding the call is true, while centrist party leaders Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan heavily criticized Netanyahu for allegedly ignoring multiple intelligence indicators.
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Netanyahu’s Defense: Netanyahu dismissed the timing of the leak as a “sinister libel” orchestrated as part of a left-wing election campaign. He reiterated his stance that Israel’s security chiefs (including the heads of the IDF and Shin Bet) failed to alert him to immediate warning signs hours before the attack, arguing the massacre could have been prevented had he been informed.
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Official UAE Position: The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to explicitly confirm or deny the Haaretz account. They stated they do not comment on media speculation regarding private conversations between world leaders, but added that “when necessary, all relevant intelligence has been and continues to be communicated between the relevant entities.”
US-Israel-Iran War Live: Alleged Warning Chain
According to excerpts from the forthcoming book Hostages: 843 Days of Abandonment co-authored by Eldar and Ruth Yuval, the intelligence originated with then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
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The “Earthquake” Threat: Sinwar reportedly told a former Palestinian official that Hamas was preparing a massive, destabilising operation described as an “earthquake”.
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The UAE’s Assessment: The information was passed through intermediaries to United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ). Recognizing that a major conflict would ruin the US-brokered Abraham Accords, the Emirati leader reportedly called Netanyahu directly.
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The Call: The book claims MBZ spoke with Netanyahu for 45 minutes, urging him to stabilize the West Bank, find economic relief for Gaza, and prepare Israel’s military for an imminent operation.
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The Cover-Up Claim: Haaretz reports that Netanyahu kept this conversation entirely to himself, failing to brief senior security officials—including Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.
US-Israel-Iran War Live: Multiple Warning Signals
The book further claims that the UAE call wasn’t an isolated incident:
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Egyptian Intelligence: The report alleges that shortly after MBZ’s warning, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel also contacted Netanyahu to flag a “terrifying operation” in the works.
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Netanyahu’s Alleged Response: In both instances, Netanyahu reportedly brushed off the concerns, asserting that Israel was “in control of the situation” in Gaza and choosing to focus military attention on the West Bank instead.
US-Israel-Iran War Live: Senior Official Corroborates the Warning
While Netanyahu’s office called the report an “absolute lie” based on non-existent phone logs, the narrative grew more complex when a rival newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, cited a senior Middle Eastern intelligence official.
The unnamed official—who holds detailed knowledge of covert Israel-UAE relations—confirmed to Yedioth Ahronoth that Abu Dhabi had indeed passed a “large and imminent operation” warning to Israel shortly before October 7. The official refused to confirm whether MBZ personally placed the call to Netanyahu but stood by the assertion that high-level warnings were definitively delivered.
