Media: Iranians attempted to lure Israeli businessman to Dubai for abduction, but failed Telegram Trap

The Israeli National Security Council has warned about Iran's plans to harm or abduct Israeli citizens abroad.

Iranian intelligence services recently attempted to organize an operation to lure an Israeli businessman to the United Arab Emirates "with the intent of harming him," Caliber.Az reports, citing the Israeli news website Newsru.co.il.

The contact with the Israeli businessman was made through the Telegram app. Posing as representatives of the Saudi media outlet Al Arabiya Farsi, Iranian agents offered the businessman a meeting in Dubai.

They also sent him "malicious links and files" via Telegram in an attempt to gain access to his mobile phone, the Council said.

However, the businessman did not fall for the trap and reported the offer to Israeli intelligence.

As the Council noted, this is not the first such attempt and is part of a broader pattern "aimed at harming Israelis both in Israel and abroad."

To recall, in November 2024, Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a 28-year-old Israeli-Moldovan Chabad emissary, was tragically murdered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His body was discovered on November 24, 2024, after he had been reported missing on November 21, 2024. It later emerged that the assassination was carried out by hitmen from Uzbekistan - at the behest of Iran. 

Israeli officials condemned the murder as an "abhorrent antisemitic terrorist attack." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

Emirati authorities arrested three Uzbek nationals in connection with the murder. While the UAE has not officially attributed the crime to any state actor, Israeli officials suspect Iranian involvement, citing Iran's history of orchestrating attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets.  

Iran has denied any involvement in the incident.

By Khagan Isayev