Shin Bet changes course, agrees to provide security coverage for Eisenkot — report

The Shin Bet has agreed to provide security coverage to Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot after agency head David Zini initially turned down a request to do so, the Kan public broadcaster reports.

The about-face comes after the Advisory Committee for Personal Security, which operates under the Prime Minister’s Office, recommended last month that the election frontrunner receive a security detail, which is not automatically granted to party leaders unless they are a sitting member of the Knesset.

Zini initially declined to provide security for Eisenkot, with the Shin Bet saying there was no intelligence justifying such a move. Eisenkot’s campaign has said he is facing growing threats as the election approaches.

The Kan report notes that the Shin Bet has not yet decided whether to provide security for Democrats chair Yair Golan, whose party has also requested coverage due to increased threats against the left-wing leader.