Report: Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was whisked out of UAE after Iranian threat

Bar and wife were at conference hosted by Emirati FM, report says, though source close to UAE denies event took place

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was urgently evacuated from the United Arab Emirates following a warning that Iran sought to harm him there, Channel 12 reported late Sunday.

According to the report, Bar and his wife were participating in a special security conference several months ago in the UAE, hosted by Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

A source close to the Gulf country denied to the network that the minister hosted such an event.

According to Channel 13, however, the conference was attended by senior security officials from the UAE, as well as decision-makers and intelligence officials from other nations around the world.

While Bar was in the Emirates, he received a security warning of a “threat to his safety” connected to Iran, according to the report.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition

by email and never miss our top stories

By signing up, you agree to the terms

After the warning, it was decided to immediately evacuate Bar and his wife and return them to Israel.

The operation was conducted under a heavy veil of secrecy, the network added.

The former Shin Bet chief declined to respond to the report.

Israel and the UAE established diplomatic, economic and security ties in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, a deal motivated in part by the shared threat of Iran.

During the US-Israel war on Iran, Tehran launched sustained attacks on the UAE, firing some 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones, according to the Emirati defense ministry, making it the most-targeted country in the region, including Israel. The UAE has also been targeted several times since the April 8 truce, including an attack on a nuclear power plant.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he secretly visited the UAE during the war, as did several top Israeli officials, according to reports. The UAE called the claim “entirely unfounded.”

If you’d like to comment, join

The Times of Israel Community.