Shin Bet takes over direct protection of Eisenkot after threats against his family

Israel’s Shin Bet security service will take over the direct protection of Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot from Wednesday, following a fresh assessment of threats targeting him and his family.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the decision was taken on Monday evening, with the Shin Bet’s VIP Protection Unit tasked with implementing the security measures.

According to the Ynet news website, affiliated with the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, officers from the unit will replace the private security guards who had been accompanying Eisenkot, marking a change in the arrangements for his protection.

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Channel 12 reported that the decision followed two consecutive incidents near his home in Herzliya. In one of them, a woman entered the building and searched for his flat while his wife, Hanna, was alone at home.

Neighbours noticed the woman and intervened to remove her from the building, the channel added.

The incident followed a protest by supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside Eisenkot’s home on Sunday evening. Protesters accused him of wrongdoing and threatened his wife over the death of their son in Gaza.

The channel also reported that Eisenkot’s team had approached the Shin Bet chief about providing him with protection as early as late July, before the elections.

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