United Arab Emirates authorities have confirmed the discovery of Moldovan-Israeli dual national Rabbi Zvi Hakohen Kogan's body following an investigation into his disappearance that began on November 21.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office and Foreign Affairs Ministry jointly announced the finding on November 24, characterising the incident as an antisemitic terrorist attack and pinned the incident on an Iranian plot using Uzbek hitmen.

"The Israeli mission in Abu Dhabi has been in contact with the family since the beginning of the incident and continues to support them during this difficult time," the announcement read. “His family in Israel has also been informed."

"The murder of the late Zvi Kogan is a criminal antisemitic terrorist attack. The State of Israel will act by all means and bring the criminals responsible for his death to justice,” the statement said.

The Israeli prime minister expressed confidence in the need for a prompt and fair investigation into the incident. According to local sources,

Israeli authorities have evidence pointing to Iran's possible involvement in the crime, but official information on the details of the investigation has not yet been made public.

The investigation, conducted jointly by Mossad and UAE authorities, revealed several explicit details about the circumstances surrounding Kogan's disappearance.

The Israeli-Moldovan dual citizen's vehicle was found approximately 90 minutes from Dubai, with authorities suspecting the involvement of three Uzbek nationals who reportedly fled to Turkey, as per the Jerusalem Post.

Intelligence sources indicated that Kogan may have been under Iranian surveillance prior to his disappearance. Complicating the investigation was the fact that Kogan had entered the UAE using his Moldovan passport, initially leading authorities to coordinate with the Moldovan embassy rather than Israeli officials.

Iranian state media reported the killing, but officials have not yet directly responded to the allegations that they were behind the murder. In an interview with Iran’s IRGC-linked Tasnim, Ali Larijani addressed Iran's response to what he termed the Zionist regime's aggression, stating that relevant authorities are carefully monitoring the situation to ensure an appropriate response to Israel's strike on the country earlier in October.

"This is an important matter, and the relevant authorities are following it very carefully to ensure the response to Israel," he said in the November 24 interview. 

Moldovan state media has not acknowledged the death of one of its citizens who travelled on one of its passports.  

According to Russian-language news site Cursorinfo, two Israeli politicians received invitations to a non-existent Hanukkah event in New York City, allegedly organised by the Chabad movement of which Kogan was a member. According to the report, the ministers were Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu and Member of Knesset Yitzhak Wasserlauf.

A figure involved in the set-up allegedly engaged with an aide of one of the politicians concerned, claiming to work at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. A background check with former Israeli representative to the United Nations Gilad Erdan showed that no such figure existed.

Upon further investigation, the Shin Bet security agency found that the invitations were created using AI. At the same time, the phone number from which they were sent was registered in the United States a few months before the incident, raising suspicions of espionage.

The Board of Jewish Deputies has condemned the “despicable” murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, the Chabad emissary to Abu Dhabi, saying, “Our hearts are broken at the news…"

“Rabbi Kogan was a religious leader who, like many Chabad emissaries, went to a distant land to serve his community with warmth and selflessness. His abduction and murder is a truly despicable act.”

Kogan’s death marks a significant breach in what has been a period of relative stability for the Jewish community in the UAE, bringing into question the stability of the Abraham Accords agreement as the current Middle East conflict continues.