Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid traveled to Morocco on Wednesday for a two-day visit that will see him officially open the Israeli Liaison Office in Rabat and meet with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.
The trip is the first for an Israeli top diplomat in almost two decades and comes after the two countries normalized ties last year as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Morocco severed formal relations with the Jewish state in 2000 following the outbreak of the Second Intifada.
Also on the agenda is a visit to Casablanca where Lapid will meet with members of the local Jewish community and pray in the Beth-El synagogue.
“This historic visit is a continuation of the long-standing friendship and deep roots and traditions that the Jewish community in Morocco, and the large community of Israelis with origins in Morocco, have,” Lapid said in a statement.
It added: “It will be a moment for political and economic activity, and we will continue to work towards agreements that will bring innovation and opportunity to our countries.”
Israel’s Mossad spy agency reportedly warned the CIA that Iran’s new president Ebrahim Raisi is mentally disturbed and cannot be trusted to stick to a revived nuclear agreement.
During a meeting in Israel, Mossad head David Barnea and other intelligence figures presented evidence to CIA chief William Burns that Raisi is unstable and corrupt, according to local media.
No details about Burns’ trip to the Jewish state have been released, but he is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Raisi, who has been dubbed the ‘Butcher of Tehran’ over his role presiding over the executions of thousands of political prisoners, was sworn into office last week in a ceremony that was attended by a senior EU diplomat.
On his first full day as president, Raisi hosted high-ranking representatives from four internationally recognized terror groups and pledged his support to their ongoing mission to eradicate Israel.
Bahrain’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa met with a top IDF official to discuss strengthening security ties amid heightened tensions between Iran and the Jewish state.
The senior diplomat held talks with Gen. Tal Kelman, who is the IDF’s Head of the Strategic Planning and Cooperation Directorate (J5) and its point person on Iran.
An IDF statement said the duo also participated in a strategic panel to identify “common challenges and opportunities in the region for Israel and Bahrain.”
Iran sparked international condemnation this month following a drone strike on an Israeli-owned vessel off the coast of Oman. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has called for a swift response to the attack, which was described as the worst outbreak of maritime violence since 2019.
Hezbollah, the Islamic republic’s terror proxy in Lebanon, also claimed responsibility for a barrage of rocket fire last week that taregted northern Israel.
An Israeli girl has found a Talmud-era bronze coin near the remains of a synagogue close to Kinneret Lake in northern Israel.
According to the Nature and Parks Authority, she was visiting the 1st Century BCE Korazim archaeological site with her family when she spotted the 1,500-year-old relic on the floor while taking part in a scavenger hunt. She immediately handed the coin over to the site’s staff.
“This is an old bronze coin which dates from the Talmudic period between the 4th and 5th centuries CE,” said park director Dekel Segev.
“The young girl and her family showed good citizenship and brought us the coin because it is a national treasure,” he added, explaining the piece will now be given to the Israel Antiquities Authority for further research and preservation.
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