ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Israel evacuated most of its diplomatic staff from the United Arab Emirates late Thursday, according to Israeli media, after its national security agency issued a stark warning of plots against its citizens in the Gulf nation.
The move marks a significant security escalation that poses a direct challenge to the landmark normalization pact between the two countries.
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) sharpened its travel advisory for the UAE, a popular destination for Israeli tourists and businesspeople since the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020.
“We are emphasizing this travel warning given our understanding that terrorist organizations (the Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Global Jihad) are increasing their efforts to harm Israel,” the NSC said in a statement.
The agency warned of specific attempts to target Israeli and Jewish individuals in the UAE, particularly during significant religious periods such as Jewish holidays and Shabbat.
The Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials in the UAE’s foreign ministry also did not issue an immediate comment on the evacuation.
A test for landmark accords
The withdrawal of diplomatic personnel underscores the fragility of regional security, even within nations that have forged historic ties with Israel.
The U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords saw the UAE and Bahrain become the first Arab nations in decades to normalize relations with Israel, paving the way for burgeoning economic and security cooperation.
The agreement led to a flourishing of ties, with an estimated one million Israeli tourists visiting the UAE since 2020 and a small but visible Jewish community re-establishing its presence.
This diplomatic drawdown raises questions about the resilience of these ties amid soaring regional tensions fueled by the long-running war in Gaza and Israel’s protracted shadow conflict with Iran.
The NSC’s warning explicitly names Iran and its powerful proxies, including the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.
Israel has cited concerns about retaliatory attacks from Tehran following a series of direct and indirect military confrontations. Tensions between the two arch-foes have included an unprecedented exchange of direct missile and drone fire and ongoing Israeli strikes against Iranian-linked targets in Syria.
Simultaneously, Israel faces mounting international pressure over its military conduct and the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The conflict has inflamed public opinion across the Arab world, creating a hostile environment that extremist groups could seek to exploit, according to security analysts. The humanitarian situation remains a key driver of instability, according to United Nations agencies.
While the UAE is widely regarded as one of the safest countries in the Middle East, a violent incident earlier this year highlighted potential risks.
In March, a UAE court sentenced three people to death for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in November. The crime, while rare, sent shockwaves through the expatriate community and demonstrated that Israeli citizens could be targets even in friendly nations.