The intelligence and security authorities of the United Arab Emirates have located the body of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad resident in the United Arab Emirates, after reporting his disappearance on November 21.
“The murder of Zvi Kogan is a criminal anti-Semitic terrorist incident. The State of Israel will act by all means and bring justice to the criminals responsible for his death,” warned a joint statement from the Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
The Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence agency, had opened an investigation after not knowing the whereabouts of the Hebrew teacher and was already treating the case as a "terrorist incident," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office yesterday.
“The State of Israel will not rest or remain silent until those responsible for this criminal act pay for their actions,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a message of condolences, calling the incident “a cowardly and despicable anti-Semitic terrorist crime.”
Israel and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic relations in September 2020 under the Abraham Accords, and made major progress in the bilateral relationship, especially on the trade front, until October 2023, in the wake of the war against the Islamic terrorist group Hamas in Gaza, which has cooled ties without actually cutting them.
The National Security Council has since issued a Level 3 (moderate threat) travel warning for the Emirates, recommending that non-essential travel be avoided and that those staying there take extra precautions.
Following news of Kogan's death on Sunday, the National Security Headquarters (NSH) reiterated its recommendation to avoid non-essential travel to the United Arab Emirates, and issued a series of tips such as staying vigilant in public places, avoiding displaying "Israeli symbols," not posting details of the trip on social media or staying in "safe areas," among others.
According to the Walla news website, citing security sources, Israel has information that Kogan had been being followed by Iranian intelligence.
Kogan's car was found abandoned in Al Ain, about 150 kilometers from Abu Dhabi. Authorities in Israel suspect that several Uzbek nationals attacked the rabbi and fled to Turkey.
Koggan was a dual citizen of Israel and Moldova and had been part of Chabad's Abu Dhabi branch since Israel normalized relations with the UAE in late 2020.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article