Tank Stolen From Israeli Army Base Found In Scrapyard (Video)

Click to see full-size image. Source: Israeli Police.

A tank that was stolen from a training base of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) near the Eliakim Interchange in northern Israel had been found, Israeli Police announced on September 20.

In a statement, the police said that the tank was found in a scrapyard, some 20 kilometers to the south of the coastal city of Haifa.

“From a preliminary investigation of the circumstances of the case, it is suspected that the tank is not active and was stolen from the scene for reasons that are being investigated at this stage,” a police statement said. “Upon locating the stolen tank, a notification was sent to the Ministry of Defence and the police opened a joint investigation with the Ministry of Defense.”

The IDF said in a separate statement that the tank was just the chassis of a Merkava Mk II that was decommissioned many years ago.

“It has no means of armament, and its systems do not function,” the statement reads. “The tank was stationed in a firing area, that’s open to any passersby, and was used as a stationary vehicle for soldiers’ exercises.”

The statement said the tank “was returned to the security system”. It added that “the investigation of the incident continues, and a command investigation will also take place.”

Two suspects have been arrested in relation to the theft of the decommissioned IDF tank, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Oddly enough, this was not the first time an IDF tank was stolen this year. Last February, two veteran army soldiers stole a tank from the Golan Heights to protest against the government’s plans to overhaul the country’s judiciary.

The Merkava has been the IDF’s main battle tank since the 1980s. On September 19, Israel revealed the 5th generation of the tank, dubbed the Barak.

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