By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International CorrespondentWorthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s government said Sunday that an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who disappeared in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was killed in a “heinous antisemitic terror act” and indirectly blamed Iran for his murder.
Zvi Kogan was found dead Sunday in the Emirati city of Al Ain, which borders Oman, around 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Abu Dhabi, said former Israeli Druze politician Ayoob Kara and other sources.
His car was discovered in Al Ain, about an hour and a half from his home, and there were signs of a struggle in the vehicle, Israeli media reported.
Israeli officials suspect that several Uzbek citizens recruited by Iran attacked the rabbi and later fled to Turkey. Kogan had been under Iranian intelligence surveillance, Worthy News learned.
The 28-year-old Kogan, who also holds Moldovan citizenship, was a representative of Chabad, a religious movement of Hasidic Jews with communities, synagogues, and other institutions in many countries.
The organization explained that he was among Chabad emissaries who ” expanded Jewish life in the Emirates. ”
Kogan had been missing since Thursday afternoon when he was apparently abducted in Dubai, where he ran a kosher market, Chabad and others said.
SEEKING JUSTICE
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the killing and warned that “The State of Israel will use all means at its disposal to bring the criminals responsible for his death to justice.“
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also expressed outrage over the rabbi’s death and thanked Emirati authorities for “their swift action.”
UAE officials said the nation was in shock over the rabbi’s death.
Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, Ephraim Mirvis, called the assassination a “devastating blow for peace.”
If confirmed, the killing was due to put additional pressure on Tehran, which has been linked to several high-profile killings, including of Jews.
Iran is suspected of kidnapping and later killing Abbas Yazdi, a British-Iranian national, in Dubai in 2013, although Tehran has denied involvement.
The Islamic Republic also abducted Jamshid Sharmahd, an Iranian-German national, from Dubai in 2020, taking him back to Tehran, where he was executed last month, Israeli sources said.
There were at least 33 assassinations or abduction attempts in the West in which local or Israeli authorities alleged an Iran link since 2020, according to court documents and government statements.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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