Two Israeli delegations will arrive in the United Arab Emirates next week, a senior Israeli official told AFP on Monday, adding that ties between the two countries are growing closer because of the war with Iran.

According to the Gulf-based official, who requested to remain anonymous, the Israeli delegations will include a transportation ministry team that will discuss a trade corridor linking India, the Middle East and Europe.

The visits will be the first official delegations since the war with Iran erupted on February 28, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he secretly visited the UAE during the war, as did several top Israeli officials, according to reports. However, the UAE denied that Netanyahu visited, calling the statement from his office “entirely unfounded.”

Weeks of drone and missile bombardment from Iran drew a hawkish response from the oil-rich UAE, aligning it more closely with Israel. Cooperation between the countries during the war reportedly included coordinated attacks on Iran, intelligence sharing, detection and interception of Iranian missiles and drones, and selecting Iranian targets.

“This presents an opportunity to enhance ties. We believe in this market… We believe people should come. There’s a lot of opportunity for cooperation,” the Israeli official said. “The enhancement in cooperation will grow further, not only in........

© The Times of Israel