Netanyahu delays trip to Germany for mysterious, unspecified ‘security incidents’

Netanyahu has cut short his trip to Germany, while Gallant instructs team to continue striving to maintain “the daily routine of Israeli citizens.”

By JNS and World Israel News

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has held several situational assessments over the past 36 hours with regard to unspecified “security incidents.”

Gallant’s office released an unusually cryptic statement on Tuesday evening, revealing that the meetings were attended by top-ranking officials, including Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) head Ronen Bar.

According to the statement, the officials presented Gallant with preliminary findings related to the incidents, and that the defense minister had instructed them to “continue efforts to ensure the daily routine of Israeli citizens.”

The development comes after Israeli authorities launched an investigation into an explosion in northern Israel on Monday that seriously wounded a man driving along the Route 65 highway at the Megiddo Junction. Shareef ad-Din, from the Arab town of Salem, was wounded when an explosive device detonated at around 6 a.m. in an apparent roadside bombing.

The Shin Bet’s involvement in the probe suggests that the defense establishment believes the bombing may have been an act of terrorism.

However, it remains unclear whether the bombing is one of the incidents that prompted the situational assessments.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was supposed to leave for Berlin at 5 p.m. and was scheduled to return Friday morning. Due mainly to the security incident, the trip was delayed.

Netanyahu was scheduled to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday for the first time since regaining the premiership in the November election. The talks were expected to focus on countering Iran, with Netanyahu asking Scholz to urge the EU to apply more sanctions on the regime in Tehran.

World Israel News contributed to this report.