Israel foreign minister postpones Dubai visit over security concern

Israel's foreign minister has postponed a visit to Dubai this month due to security concerns, diplomats said on Sunday, linking the decision to spiralling Iran-U.S. tensions.

Israel Katz, who doubles as intelligence minister, had been scheduled to attend Expo 2020 Dubai in mid-January but "on the instruction of security officials" would defer the visit, an Israeli diplomat said, without giving a new date.

Another diplomat, who also requested anonymity, said Israel was taking precautions lest its arch-foe Iran try to target Katz in the Gulf as part of retaliation against its U.S. ally. The diplomat did not cite evidence to indicate any specific threat.

Iran and Israel have been fierce regional enemies since the 1979 Iranian revolution.

Decades-old hostilities between Tehran and Washington have boiled over in recent weeks, with a U.S. strike killing a senior Iranian commander and Iran firing missiles at Iraqi airbases hosting U.S. forces in response.