Israel says rabbi missing in U.A.E. was killed, denounces 'heinous antisemitic terror incident'
Zvi Kogan's body found amid suspicions he had been kidnapped
Israel said Sunday the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found after he was killed in what the government described as a "heinous antisemitic terror incident."
Zvi Kogan went missing on Thursday, and there were suspicions he had been kidnapped.
The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel "will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death."
His death comes as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after it launched a strike in October that hit sensitive military bases in the country. Tehran has twice launched missile attacks on Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon.
"Since [Kogan's] disappearance, and against the backdrop of information that this was a terrorist incident, an extensive investigation has been opened in the country," the office of Israel's prime minister said.
The Emirati government did not respond to a request for comment. However, senior Emirati diplomat Anwer Gargash wrote on the social platform X in Arabic on Sunday that "the UAE will remain a home of safety, an oasis of stability, a society of tolerance and coexistence and a beacon of development, pride and advancement."
Earlier on Sunday, the U.A.E.'s state-run WAM news agency acknowledged Kogan's disappearance but pointedly did not acknowledge he held Israeli citizenship, referring to him only as being Moldovan.
"Specialized authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report," the Interior Ministry said.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry "is in close contact with his family to provide them with all means of necessary support," it added.
Kogan's wife, Rivky, is a U.S. citizen who lived with him in the U.A.E. She's the niece of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, who was killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The U.A.E. is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Local Jewish officials in the U.A.E. declined to comment.
Previous kidnappings
While the Israeli statement did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have carried out past kidnappings in the U.A.E.
Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the U.A.E. and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living in the country.
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.
Iranian state media had acknowledged Kogan's disappearance earlier, without elaborating.
Kogan, 28, was an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who ran a Kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai.
The U.A.E. diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020. Since then, Israelis have come to the U.A.E. to set up businesses and vacation. Emirati airlines have been a key link for Israel to the rest of the world, as other carriers have stopped flying to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv amid the wars.
After this latest development, Israel has since advised against non-essential travel to the U.A.E. for its citizens.
The U.A.E. also has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. However, the current Middle East crisis has sparked deep anger among Emiratis, Arab nationals from other states and others living in the U.A.E.