Shin Bet chief rejects armed security detail for election frontrunner Eisenkot — reports

Shin Bet chief David Zini has denied a request to provide security for Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, whose party is leading in most opinion polls ahead of the October 27 election, Hebrew media outlets reported Saturday.

The party asked for Eisenkot to receive guards because of increased threats against him since becoming the leading candidate to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to Channel 12, Haaretz, Walla and other Hebrew media outlets, the Shin Bet will provide Eisenkot with intelligence assistance relating to threats, but not an armed security detail.

People close to the former IDF chief reacted angrily to the decision, telling Channel 12 that the level of risk against him had risen amid the intensifying election campaign and threats from Iran.

After receiving the Shin Bet’s response, Eisenkot’s campaign wrote to various top officials, including the attorney general, warning of what it said were the dangers posed by the decision, Channel 12 reported. The letter alleged that political considerations were behind the decision not to provide him with a security detail.

“The atmosphere on the Israeli street, as well as on social media, is becoming increasingly heated, and threats are emerging and multiplying,” the campaign wrote. It said Eisenkot’s private security was insufficient and that “the physical threat against him is growing every day.”

The campaign also accused the government, the ministerial committee responsible for the Shin Bet and the advisory committee on security of failing to meet their responsibilities for what it called “political and improper reasons.” The allegations were not independently substantiated.

In response to the reports, the Shin Bet said in a statement: “Security for symbols of  government is determined by law and in accordance with the decisions of the Ministerial Committee for Shin Bet Affairs. It should be emphasized that the Shin Bet maintains an ongoing situation assessment and intelligence surveillance to monitor and thwart threats surrounding Gadi Eisenkot, should they arise.”

The security agency said it was also in contact with Eisenkot’s private security people and had provided them with permits to operate.

In an earlier letter to Zini, Eisenkot’s team said it had hired a private security company but had no intelligence capability to provide the guards with additional information about potential threats.

The decision came just over a week after Channel 12 reported that Zini was considering providing Eisenkot with an armed detail amid indications that Iran had stepped up efforts to harm Israeli leaders and as campaigning gathered pace. At the time, Zini was also reportedly considering whether protection could instead be provided through the IDF or the Knesset Guard.

Eisenkot’s campaign had first raised concerns about his security in late June, when his field director wrote to Zini and other security officials saying the Yashar leader had been forced to hire a private security firm because he was not receiving state protection.

“In light of a number of incidents that have occurred in recent weeks, as well as a series of troubling publications, we have decided to secure the party chairman with a private security firm,” the letter said.

The campaign said the privately hired guards were not armed and warned that Eisenkot would become increasingly exposed as the election approached, with the former IDF chief regularly attending conferences, touring the country and appearing at events whose locations and schedules were publicized in advance.

The concerns came amid repeated warnings from Israeli security officials about potential Iranian efforts to interfere in the election and target political figures.

In July, Zini reportedly warned senior Israeli officials that Iran and other foreign actors were seeking to meddle in the October vote and undermine the election process. The Shin Bet chief was said to view foreign interference as the agency’s second-most concerning election-related threat, behind the possibility of major terror attacks.

The dispute over Eisenkot’s protection comes as he has emerged as Netanyahu’s strongest electoral challenger. A Zman Yisrael poll projected Yashar winning 25 Knesset seats, compared with 21 for Likud. Yashar has led most polls in recent weeks, though Likud has frequently trailed by only a small margin.

Eisenkot, who served as IDF chief of staff, entered politics in 2022, joining Benny Gantz’s National Unity party. After October 7, he joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet but then quit in 2024. He formally launched Yashar’s election campaign on June 30 and declared that he was running for prime minister, pledging to be a “prime minister for all Israeli citizens.”