Netanyahu: Chad to Open Embassy in Israel on Thursday

YERUSHALAYIM (Reuters) – Chad will inaugurate on Thursday an embassy in Israel, building on bilateral relations that were established five years ago, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office said.

The announcement on Wednesday came as Chadian President Mahamat Deby’s office said he was on a 48-hour Israel visit.

The statement from N’Djamena did not provide further details on Deby’s agenda. Netanyahu’s office said the Chadian leader would officiate at the embassy inauguration.

It was not immediately clear where the embassy would be located.

Most countries keep embassies in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial metropolis. Israel deems Yerushalayim as its capital, but this status has not won wider international recognition.

Israel and Chad resumed ties in 2018 following a visit to Yerushalayim by then-President Idriss Deby.

The trip is the first to Israel for Deby, who took over after his father died in 2021.

Netanyahu has cast the upgrade of relations with Chad as part of his outreach to Arab and Muslim countries, which he wants to expand.