Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed he made a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates at the height of the conflict with Iran , shoring up relations with the Gulf state after strikes by Tehran. The Israeli prime minister’s office said late on Wednesday that a covert meeting with Emirati president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had led to “a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE ”. A source familiar with the talks said Netanyahu and Sheikh Mohammed met in Al-Ain, an oasis city by the Oman border, on March 26 and that their meeting lasted several hours. The source said Mossad chief Dedi Barnea also made at least two visits during the war to coordinate military actions. But in a twist, the UAE’s foreign ministry denied the meetings took place, saying relations with Israel “are public” and “not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements”.…