by Christopher A. Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made an unannounced trip to Israel on Wednesday to meet with officials from the country’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the FBI said.
As part of the visit, the first to Israel since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, Wray also spoke with FBI agents working in Israel, the bureau said in a statement Wednesday, highlighting the importance of his efforts to counter threats from Hezbollah and Hamas. The United States designates both as terrorist groups.
Wray spoke with officials from Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency; Shin Bet, the Israeli equivalent of the FBI; and the Israel National Police, according to a person familiar with his trip to Israel, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Details of the trip became public after Mr. Wray departed Israel.
The FBI has been working closely with its counterparts in Israel after the October 7 attacks, which Israeli authorities say killed about 1,200 people. About 250 more people, including dual U.S. citizens, were kidnapped in the attacks. The FBI has opened cases involving crimes against Americans committed by Hamas or others.
“The FBI’s partnership with our Israeli counterparts is long, close and strong,” Wray said in a statement, “and I am confident that the closeness of our agencies contributed to our ability to act so quickly in response to these attacks, and to “ensure our support is as seamless as possible.”
The United States has created a CIA task force to help Israel pursue top Hamas leaders, while American spy agencies have also raised the priority of intelligence gathering on Hamas. The CIA has also been heavily involved in negotiations for the release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas and its allies, and President Biden has sent the agency’s director, William J. Burns, to join the ceasefire talks. Fire in Cairo.
After the visit, Wray headed to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference.
