Mossad Chief Made Secret UAE Visits During Israel-Iran War, WSJ Reports

Israel's Mossad director David Barnea traveled to the United Arab Emirates at least twice during the recent military campaign against Iran to coordinate operations against Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The visits came as Israel, backed by the United States, carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites under what it called Operation Roaring Lion. Barnea's meetings with Emirati counterparts focused on synchronizing intelligence sharing and responses to Iranian threats, according to the Journal.

The UAE's role in the conflict went beyond intelligence coordination. The WSJ also reported that Abu Dhabi secretly conducted its own military strikes on Iran, making it the only country besides the U.S. and Israel to do so. In early April 2026, Emirati forces struck a refinery on Iran's Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf, triggering a large fire that knocked much of the facility offline for months. The UAE has not publicly acknowledged the operation.

Washington welcomed Abu Dhabi's active involvement after other Gulf states declined to participate. Iran, which responded to the strikes with missile and drone barrages targeting the UAE, condemned the attacks as aggression, an escalation that continued until a ceasefire took hold.

The UAE has maintained deepening security ties with Israel since the two countries normalized relations under the 2020 Abraham Accords.

Neither Israel nor the UAE has officially confirmed Barnea's visits or the Emirati strikes, consistent with standard practice on sensitive intelligence and military matters. Barnea, who is set to step down in June 2026, has said Mossad's campaign against the Iranian regime is ongoing.