Israeli foreign minister to visit Bahrain on Thursday

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s foreign minister will fly to Bahrain on Thursday, the highest-level official Israeli visit to the Gulf state since the countries established ties last year, the Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will inaugurate Israel’s embassy in Manama and sign bilateral deals during the visit, a ministry statement on Wednesday said.

Bahrain and Gulf neighbour United Arab Emirates normalised relations with Israel in a U.S.-brokered deal known as the Abraham Accords that built on shared business interests and worries about Iran.