Middle East: Gunman killed near Israeli embassy in Jordan

Israel said on Sunday that the body of a missing Israeli-Moldovan rabbi has been found calling it a "heinous antisemitic terror incident."

Zvi Kogan, missing since Thursday, was murdered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said, adding that Israel "will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death."

Kogan managed a kosher grocery store in Dubai and was an emissary for the Chabad Lubavitch movement.

Israeli authorities reissued their advisory against nonessential travel to the UAE, urging those currently in the country to exercise caution regarding their movement and remain in secure locations.

The death comes amid heightened tensions with Iran, which has a history of intelligence operations in the UAE.

Israeli authorities are treating the disappearance of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in the United Arab Emirates as a "terrorist incident," the prime minister's office said on Saturday.

Zvi Kogan, a representative for the ultra-Orthodox Chabad Hasidic movement in the UAE, has been missing since Thursday afternoon.

The Israeli prime minister's office said the Mossad spy agency was leading the investigation and added that there is "information indicating that this is a terrorist incident."

The Chabad Lubavitch movement, based in Brooklyn, New York, said in a statement that "emissaries are working closely with authorities as they investigate his disappearance."

Although the Israeli statement did not reference Iran, Iranian intelligence has previously been linked to kidnappings in the UAE.

Meanwhile, the Emirati Interior Ministry described Kogan as being "missing and out of contact" and said search operations were ongoing, involving "extensive measures."

The Foreign Ministry said it was in close contact with the rabbi's family.

The UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2020.

A gunman was killed, and three policemen were injured in a shooting near the Israeli embassy in Jordan's capital early on Sunday, state media reported.

The gunman opened fire on a police patrol in the Rabiah neighborhood in Amman, and was shot dead after security forces engaged, according to the official Petra news agency.

"The Public Security Directorate announced that it dealt with an incident of gunfire at a patrol operating in the Rabiah area in the capital, Amman, at dawn on Sunday," Petra news agency said.

The injured officers are receiving treatment, and investigations are ongoing.

Authorities asked residents to remain indoors as the incident unfolded.

Witnesses reported heavy police and ambulance presence near the embassy. The area was cordoned off by police after gunshots were heard.

The area is a frequent site of anti-Israel demonstrations.

Jordan, home to many citizens of Palestinian origin, has seen large protests against the Gaza conflict.

ss/rmt,ab (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)