Israel declined an invitation to attend a major defense conference in Abu Dhabi due to concerns of a possible Iranian attack.
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Following the normalization of ties with the United Arab Emirates, dozens of Israeli companies, including state-owned giants like Israel Aerospace Industries, had planned to send their representatives to the International Defense Exhibition and Conference, the region's largest defense expo, in search of lucrative deals.
However, on Feb. 15, the Defense Ministry announced Israeli companies would not be taking part in the arms fair, according to a Channel 12 report, Saturday, citing the country's COVID-19 restrictions as the reason for the decision.
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However, according to Channel 12 News, security concerns were the key factor in the move. Israel's security establishment was wary of a possible assassination attempt being made on Israeli nationals there in retaliation for the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhirzadeh, which Tehran has blamed on Israel.
According to the report, Israel relayed the real reason behind the move to the UAE, which accepted Jerusalem's decision.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
