Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff reportedly detained in leak probe
Braverman, a longtime senior figure in Netanyahu’s inner circle, is due to assume the post of Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom in the coming months
Israeli police have detained a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for questioning over allegations he attempted to interfere with an investigation into the leak of classified intelligence to a foreign media outlet, authorities said on Sunday.
Police confirmed that officers from the Lahav 433 major crimes unit detained a senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office on suspicion of obstructing investigative procedures.
While police did not name the suspect, multiple Hebrew-language media outlets identified him as Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s chief of staff.
Investigators searched Braverman’s home earlier in the day before bringing him in for questioning at Lahav 433’s headquarters in the central city of Lod, according to police and media reports. He has not been formally charged.
The case centers on an alleged attempt to derail a probe into the unauthorized leak of classified intelligence to Bild, a German tabloid. The investigation intensified following claims by Eli Feldstein, Netanyahu’s former spokesman, who has himself been indicted in a related matter.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 last month, Feldstein said Braverman had been aware of a covert military investigation into the leak well before it became public. Feldstein alleged that Braverman assured him the probe could be neutralized. He also described a late-night meeting in an underground parking garage at the Kirya military complex in Tel Aviv, where Braverman allegedly informed him that the Israel Defense Forces had opened an inquiry.
A source within Lahav 433 told Channel 12 that Feldstein is expected to provide testimony to investigators later on Sunday.
Braverman, a longtime senior figure in Netanyahu’s inner circle, is due to assume the post of Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom in the coming months.
In response to the detention, opposition leader Yair Lapid said the planned appointment should be immediately suspended. “It is not possible for a person suspected of being involved in obstructing a serious security investigation to be the face of Israel in one of the most important countries in Europe,” Lapid said.