JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and will meet its president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, an Israeli statement said.

Bennett’s Abu Dhabi visit, his third in recent months, had not previously been announced.

The statement said the two leaders, whose countries opened relations two years ago, would discuss “various regional issues” but provided no detail.

“Today, together, we will take to the special bond that has been woven between our countries to the next level,” it quoted Bennett as saying.

Israel warns over Iran nuclear programme

In the statement, Bennett also commended the International Atomic Energy Agency’s criticism of Iran for failing to explain uranium traces found at three undeclared sites.