The Shin Bet filed an unusual complaint with the Chief Military Censor on Monday evening, demanding that Channel 12 News be held accountable for what it described as a “serious censorship violation" over the timing of its report on the Prime Minister’s flight to the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Shin Bet, “The report broadcast by the channel was posted at 9:38 p.m., while the plane carrying the Prime Minister and his delegation was still in the air and far from Israel’s borders, nearly an hour before it landed in Israel at 10:27 p.m."
The agency stressed that the early publication directly endangered the security of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife, and members of the senior delegation, which included the Mossad director, the National Security Council director, Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Guy Markizano, the Shin Bet’s head of security, aircrews, and security personnel on the ground.
The complaint stated: “Publishing the visit at the stage at which it was published created a security risk to the Prime Minister, the operation, and the forces on the ground. The publication and the manner in which the visit was conducted exposed the agency’s methods of operation, thereby placing future operations at greater risk."
The Shin Bet’s demand was also backed by a strongly worded assessment from the Mossad.
“This leak constituted a serious security threat to the safety of the Prime Minister and the delegation," the Mossad said. “We request that a red flag be raised and that the publication be classified as a serious incident that constitutes a threat to the security of the State of Israel."