Iran has denied involvement in the murder of an Israeli rabbi in the United Arab Emirates, after Hebrew media pointed fingers pointed at Tehran and the Israeli prime minister promised to punish those who ordered the murder.
Emirati authorities on Sunday identified the body of missing Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan. They later announced that three suspects had been arrested in connection with the murder, which is being investigated by Israel's intelligence service and the UAE.
Senior Israeli officials told Walla News on Saturday that the focus of investigations was "a terrorist squad of Uzbek origin that operated in Dubai on behalf of Iran and allegedly carried out the abduction and then fled to Turkey."
However, the Iranian embassy in the UAE told Reuters on Sunday that it "categorically rejects the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the murder of this individual."
The statement came hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the murder "an antisemitic terror attack" and vowed that "Israel will act with all means to bring justice to the murderers and those who sent them."
Over the past two days, Israeli media have been reporting that the rabbi's murder may be related to Tehran's plan to avenge Israel's October 26 air strikes on Iranian military targets.
Israel has not yet accused Iran of involvement in the murder. However, the country has in the past alleged Iran's involvement in numerous attempts to kidnap Israelis abroad. Iran has also been involved in the kidnapping and killing of foreign nationals in the UAE, according to the Emirati and Western officials.
Iran suspected in hoax targeting Israeli ministers
In one of the latest cases, several Israeli government ministers recently received an invitation to an event hosted by Chabad in New York. Upon further investigation, it turned out that the invitation was signed in the name of a fictitious figure, raising suspicions the message was an Iranian attempt to lure government ministers, Israel's Ynet website reported.
Estimations now suggest the Iranians, or whoever orchestrated the attempt, used artificial intelligence to fabricate the identity of a rabbi, the report added, shortly after the murder of the Chabad emissary to the UAE.
In a similar case in May 2020, Israel’s security agency Shin Bet uncovered an alleged plot by Iranian intelligence to lure Israeli academics and former defense officials to travel abroad in order to kidnap them.
The agency said Iranians contacted the Israelis while posing as academics, journalists, businesspeople and philanthropists, using spoofed emails with the identities of real people living overseas who were unaware their names were being used.
Iran's intelligence targets thousands of Israelis
Israel Hayom reported on Sunday that Iranian intelligence agencies have compiled detailed profiles on thousands of Israelis, identifying them as potential targets for operations both within Iran and abroad.
Citing security sources, the report said hundreds of these individuals are classified as "high-risk," with some reportedly receiving direct threats from Iranian agents. The targets include current and former defense officials, scientists, and academics.
This effort, ongoing for over a decade, is viewed as Iran's strategic retaliation against the alleged Mossad-orchestrated assassinations of Iranian officials and scientists. In response, Tehran has reportedly established cells in various countries, aiming to target Israelis living or traveling in these regions, the report said.
Mossad Director David Barnea warned in September 2023 that Iran's leaders would pay a direct price at "the highest echelon" if Israelis or Jews are harmed in what he said was an ongoing, significantly stepped-up, state-organized Iranian "terror effort" worldwide.
