Iran has warned of “highly dangerous consequences” following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘secret visit’ to Abu Dhabi and his meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Iran’s foreign ministry strongly condemned Netanyahu’s presence in the UAE and asked countries across the region to remain vigilant over the security risks posed by Israel.

“The ministry of foreign affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the visit of Benjamin Netanyahu, the child-killing and war-mongering Prime Minister of the Zionist regime, to the United Arab Emirates and warns of the highly dangerous consequences of the presence of the occupying regime in the region,” the ministry said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“The presence of a criminal whose hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and who is under prosecution by international courts is extremely dangerous and alarming,” they added.

Iran also accused Israel of repeated threats against the Islamic Republic and warned regional governments against allowing their territories to be used for actions that could destabilise neighbouring countries.

“Regional security is a collective and indivisible matter,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. It called on regional governments to “refrain from providing the grounds for the destructive presence of the Zionist regime” and not allow their territories to become a platform for actions against other countries.

What happened during Netanyahu’s UAE visit?

Netanyahu made an unannounced one-day trip to Abu Dhabi on Sunday and met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, according to Israeli officials.

The UAE later confirmed the meeting through its state news agency, WAM. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen ties between Israel and the UAE.

Netanyahu reportedly travelled on a private aircraft and spent several hours in Abu Dhabi before returning to Israel, as per AFP. His office did not initially announce the trip.