Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa said on Thursday that his country is receiving intelligence support from Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as it grapples with surging cartel violence linked to cocaine trafficking.
Speaking to AFP during a diplomatic tour in Paris, Noboa said both Israel and the UAE had agreed to share intelligence with Quito in an effort to curb the deadly influence of drug cartels.
“They agreed to provide intelligence to help,” said the 37-year-old leader, who was recently re-elected.
The once-tranquil Andean nation has witnessed an alarming spike in violence, with homicides reaching an average of one per hour earlier this year.
As part of a broader international outreach, Noboa met with leaders in Europe and the Middle East, including visits to Italy, Spain, Britain, France, Israel, and the UAE. He aims to foster deeper cooperation to stem the flow of drugs and arms through Ecuadorian ports.
“In conversations with the Israeli and Emirati leadership, we discussed cooperation on security at ports and borders... since the violence is there, in the areas or on the routes to the ports,” he explained.
During his campaign, Noboa proposed controversial security measures, including the return of US military bases to Ecuadorian soil and the deployment of American special forces. However, he acknowledged these ideas have not gained traction internationally. “There is not much interest so far” in stationing foreign forces inside the country, he admitted.
During Noboa’s visit to Israel this week, he officially launched Ecuador’s Innovation Research and Development Center in Jerusalem.
Noboa also visited the Western Wall Plaza while in Israel, where he was seen wearing the hostages' pin on his lapel.