DUBAI – An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in the United Arab Emirates has gone missing, with Israeli authorities raising the suspicion Saturday he may have been kidnapped as tensions remain high with Iran.
Israeli media citing unnamed security sources reported that Zvi Kogan, who has been missing since noon Thursday, may have been kidnapped. The Israeli prime minister’s office on Saturday night acknowledged Kogan’s disappearance, without elaborating.
His disappearance comes as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after it launched a strike in October hitting sensitive military bases in the country. Tehran twice has 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 prime minister’s office said. “Israeli intelligence and security agencies are working continuously out of concern …