Monday’s Israeli Cabinet meeting has been moved to an alternative location for security reasons, according to Hebrew media reports.
Future government meetings will also not take place either at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem or at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, per the new protocol.
According to Ynet, ministers will convene instead at a secure underground facility in Jerusalem. Only ministers will reportedly attend, without advisers.
“Hours before arriving at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, ministers received a surprise notice that they should go to the nearby government building, Generi 2, and that the meeting would take place in a secure facility. All advisers were asked not to attend, and the meeting—which will be held underground—will be attended only by ministers,” according to Ynet.
The directives from the notification reportedly included the following: “No parking available; please do not arrive armed; no weapons will be allowed in the building; the meeting facility has no waiting area, so only those invited and approved for the government meeting will be permitted entry.”
It was decided that the meeting was not to be held in the underground bunker of the National Crisis Management Center, located in the Jerusalem hills.
The move comes hours before the Knesset’s winter session opens after its holiday recess.
Kan News reported that the reason for the move is due to the defense establishment assessing that Iran is likely to launch another attack after Friday’s Israeli strikes on its territory and the government secretariat mistakenly revealing the location of the meetings.
In addition to a potential Iranian attack, Ynet cited the Hezbollah drone strike on the Caesarea home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Oct. 19, as well as “warnings about attempts to target ministers and government symbols, which led to heightened security measures for them.”
Following the drone strike on the Netanyahu villa, which damaged the armored windows and parts of its marble cladding, discussions were recently held in Netanyahu’s office with the Israel Security Agency about the security of his home and the lessons learned.
Experts were involved in the discussion, according to Ynet, with suggestions made for security improvements, which are estimated to cost 3-8 million shekels (approx. $800,000-$2 million).
In addition, a review is being conducted on the security upgrades to the Prime Minister’s Residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem, which is undergoing 54 million shekels ($145 million) worth of renovations. An additional budget of 10-15 million shekels ($2.6-4 million) is being considered for the security upgrades. There are also reportedly discussions being held about the security features for the construction planned for the new Prime Minister’s Residence and Prime Minister’s Office, known as the “Shira” plan.
Regarding a potential Iranian response, Kan reported that Jerusalem wants to end the current direct confrontation with Tehran, and thus ministers were instructed not to discuss the attack. And the Israel Defense Forces has not released images of the attack.
“The goal is not to antagonize the Iranians and to aim for a resolution of this current round,” a source told Kan. However, should Iran launch an attack, senior Israeli officials warned of a “painful” response.
(JNS)
