Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem on June 5, 2024. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The government cabinet meeting that was set to take place on Monday morning was moved to a secret, secure location on short notice, with only the ministers allowed to attend, Israeli media reported shortly before the meeting was scheduled to begin.
Cabinet meetings are usually held either in the Prime Minister’s Office (the PMO), the Knesset building in Jerusalem, or the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Some hours later, Ynet News reported that the meeting was moved to a secure building in Jerusalem’s government complex, and in fact, that from now on, cabinet meetings would not be held in a fixed location for security reasons.
According to various media reports, the reason for the sudden secrecy is the growing threat from Iran, which was underlined by the recent drone strike that struck Prime Minister Netanyahu’s private home in Caesarea. Iranian spy cells have also attempted to target high-ranking Israeli leaders in recent weeks.
Israeli intelligence has identified a rise in attempts by the Iranian regime to target ministers and state symbols, with alerts heightened following Israeli strikes in Iran last Saturday.
For security reasons, the number of participants at the government meeting was also greatly reduced, with only ministers allowed to attend, without their usual teams of advisors.
“There is no parking on the premises; please do not come armed; you will not be allowed to enter the building with a weapon; there is no waiting area in the meeting compound and therefore only invitees who have been approved to participate in the government meeting will be allowed to enter,” read the message sent to the minister shortly before the meeting, according to Ynet News.
Despite the serious threats, the meeting was not moved to the newly-built underground government bunker, (the National Crisis Management Center), located in the nearby Jerusalem mountains.
The drone strike that struck Netanyahu’s private home was the last, and most dramatic, in a series of attempts to harm Israeli leaders.
Since then, Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency)has been assessing the attack that reportedly impacted the reinforced window of Netanyahu’s bedroom. Security experts have scanned the residence and provided recommendations to further secure the compound.
Ynet reported that the upgrades will cost between NIS 3 and NIS 8 million ($800,000 – $2.1 million).
In addition, similar upgrades will be implemented at the Prime Minister’s official residence in downtown Jerusalem, which is already undergoing extensive renovations estimated to have cost NIS 45 million (about $12 million) to date.
Upgrading security to address the recent threats will add another NIS 10 ($2.7 million to NIS 15 million (over $4 million), according to the report.
