Israel conducted a covert extraction of part of its embassy staff in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday after two Iranian terror plots targeting the diplomatic team were foiled in recent days, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel, confirming Hebrew media reports.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed the evacuation, stating that “in light of concrete threats against Israeli missions in the UAE, and at the request of security authorities, non-essential staff were evacuated from the United Arab Emirates.”

“In both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, diplomatic teams remain in place to ensure the continued and uninterrupted handling of diplomatic and consular affairs,” the ministry added.

The Israeli official who spoke to The Times of Israel confirmed that the threats in question were Iranian terror plots.

A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 news that the two attacks were part of “a specific effort to hunt the Israeli diplomats” and “were already underway.”

Thousands of Israelis remain in the UAE, including tourists whose flights were canceled, Israeli residents, and Israelis holding foreign citizenship, many of whom were said to be seeking immediate assistance from Emirati and Israeli authorities to exit the country amid the heightened tensions with Iran.

The Foreign Ministry told the Ynet news site that “similar to past cases,” the Transportation Ministry and “relevant security figures”........

© The Times of Israel