Israeli PM Bennett visits Abu Dhabi, meets with UAE president

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, an Israeli statement said.

Bennett's 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 the special bond that has been woven between our countries to the next level," it quoted Bennett as saying.

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.

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by James Mackenzie and Raissa Kasolowsky)