Israel's Mossad is operational in Bahrain, the Gulf country's Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulla al-Khalifa revealed in a panel discussion with Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz at the Munich Security Conference on Monday.

The words were a rare admission by a senior government official from an Arab country regarding intelligence cooperation with Israel.

According to al-Khalifa, Israeli Mossad chiefs have visited Bahrain on a number of occasions.

This is a developing story.