Israel quietly withdraws embassy staff from Cairo

Israel has pulled its ambassador and entire embassy staff out of Cairo, citing security concerns, the Telegraph reported on Tuesday. Ambassador David Govrin left the Egyptian capital at the end of 2016 over fears for his life.

According to the British newspaper, the Israeli Shin Bet intelligence agency confirmed the withdrawal. “Due to security concerns the return of the Foreign Ministry embassy staff to Cairo has been restricted,” a spokesman said. In the meantime, Govrin is apparently carrying out his mission from Jerusalem. The Israeli government hopes that he will be able to return to Cairo soon.

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The Israeli foreign ministry, said the Telegraph, declined to comment on the reports. The sources did not give any details of the security concerns which pushed Govrin and his staff to return to Israel.

Israeli and Egyptian citizens rarely visit each other’s countries, despite the continuous security cooperation between their governments, the media report pointed out.