During his official visit to Australia in February, Israeli President Isaac Herzog held a previously undisclosed meeting with the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Michael Burgess, Australian intelligence authorities have confirmed.

The confidential session — not included in Herzog’s publicly announced itinerary — was briefed by ASIO’s counter-terrorism unit and focused on emerging global threats and cooperative security efforts.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation stated that enduring partnerships with foreign intelligence services are central to addressing shared challenges, and that the meeting provided an important forum for discussion.

Australia’s Foreign Minister declined to confirm the encounter when questioned in parliament, describing matters relating to intelligence as “very sensitive”.

The ASIO disclosure came after independent senators sought clarification about whether a foreign head of state had visited the agency’s headquarters, with one member labelling such access “unprecedented”.

Herzog’s visit was originally framed by the Australian government as an act of solidarity following a deadly anti-Semitic attack at Bondi Beach that left fifteen people dead, and included engagements with political leaders and community groups.

The trip, however, proved politically divisive, drawing large protests in cities across the country from demonstrators opposing his presence and critiquing his government’s conduct in the Gaza conflict.

In some instances, rallies were met with force by police under special protest-restriction laws, drawing scrutiny from human rights observers.

The intelligence meeting, while not publicly advertised, underscores the depth of security ties between Canberra and Jerusalem at a time of heightened geopolitical instability.

Israeli and Australian officials have both characterised their bilateral relationship as longstanding and multifaceted, with cooperation spanning counter-terrorism and strategic dialogue.

As President Herzog concluded his engagements and departed Australia, the revelation of a classified intelligence briefing added a new dimension to assessments of his trip and the scope of high-level interactions that took place behind closed doors.