Rabat – Israeli officials have accused Iran of being behind the murder of Zvi Kogan – an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi – in the United Arab Emirates as tensions escalate between the two countries.
Rabbi Kogan’s body was discovered early Sunday after he went missing last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the killing, vowing justice. “The murder of Zvi Kogan, of blessed memory, is an abhorrent act of antisemitic terrorism,” Netanyahu said. He added that Israel would “use all means” to bring the culprits to account.
Rabbi Kogan was a former soldier in Israel’s Givati Brigade and a prominent figure in the Jewish community in the UAE. He was registered in the UAE as a Moldovan, and managed “Rimon Market,” a kosher grocery store in Dubai. His shop was closed on Sunday, and soon after there were concerns behind his disappearance.
Emirati authorities have arrested three men who are the prime suspects in the murder case.
Asher Ben Artzi, Israel’s former head of Interpol, commented on the incident in an interview with Telegraph. “Iranian intelligence is very active there and invests great efforts in locating Israelis who will be the target of an attack,” he said, adding that “they don’t always act by themselves, many times they use agents and sources they recruit. Iranian intelligence operates with great boldness and ‘insolence’.”
Tehran’s embassy in the UAE has denied the country was involved.
Meanwhile, Western intelligence believes Iran has been exploring options to strike back.
Reports suggest that Iran might target Israelis and Jews in response to the October 26 attack when Israel launched missiles to destroy Iranian military sites, including air-defence systems and missile factories.
Iran is suspected of kidnapping and later killing British Iranian national Abbas Yazdi in Dubai in 2013, though Tehran has denied involvement. Iran also kidnapped Iranian German national Jamshid Sharmahd in 2020 from Dubai, taking him back to Tehran, where he was executed in October.
The Israeli occupation state’s national security council reiterated that the UAE has a “Level 3” travel warning. It has further advised its citizens in the UAE to avoid businesses or places of gathering associated with Israeli or Jewish people and to hide anything that could identify them as Israeli. Israelis have also warned against posting travel details and photos on social media when visiting.
The UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. However, tensions against Israel have risen within the wider Middle East as the occupation forces continue their genocidal war on Gaza, with many Arabs loyal to the Palestinian cause.
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