Israel PM's office denies rumor of planned Bahrain trip

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli premier’s office on Friday denied reports of a forthcoming visit to Bahrain by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Thursday, Hani Marzouk, an employee of the prime minister’s office, told the Israeli Broadcast Authority that Netanyahu was scheduled to visit Bahrain "soon".

In a statement released the following day, however, Netanyahu’s office appeared to distance itself from the assertion.

“Marzouk had not been aware of certain political and security issues,” the statement read.

“His statements were based on media speculation rather than official information,” it added.

Marzouk, the statement went on to point out, is simply an employee at the prime minister’s office and cannot speak on Netanyahu’s behalf.

Last month, Netanyahu visited Oman, where he met with Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said. It was the first time in 22 years for a top Israeli official to visit the Arab Gulf sultanate.