A senior Sudanese junta general made a secret visit to Israel last week to advance normalization efforts and secure support for the General al-Burhan’s army (SAF), according to a military source quoted by local media.
Lieutenant General Al-Sadiq Ismail, a close aide to SAF chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, traveled to Israel as Burhan’s personal envoy, Sudanese newspaper Al-Rakoba reported.
The visit, according to the report, focused on coordinating with Israeli officials to help improve Burhan junta’s standing with the U.S. administration and to ease concerns within the United Arab Emirates over SAF’s role in the ongoing conflict.
The SAF envoy reportedly delivered a series of messages to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing Burhan’s commitment to finalizing normalization between the two countries under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.
In exchange, SAF junta is seeking Israeli political and possibly military support during what the newspaper described as a critical phase in the country’s civil war.
According to Al-Rakoba, Burhan offered to meet “any obligations or conditions” set by Israel to complete the normalization deal as soon as possible. The report added that the SAF leader voiced frustration over what he viewed as Israel’s lack of military assistance during the two-year war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and noted that this absence of support coincided with growing U.S. engagement with Iran—something that has strained Israel-Washington ties.
Burhan reportedly told Israeli officials that he had hoped for weapons and aid that could have altered the course of the war and transformed Sudanese public opinion toward Israel.
SAF junta agreed in principle to normalize ties with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords, but the process has stalled amid the country’s deepening political and military crisis. The conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has devastated large parts of the country and displaced millions.
SAF have not publicly commented on the reported visit. Israeli authorities also did not immediately respond to the claims.
