Tank stolen from military base in northern Israel

JERUSALEM

An Israeli tank was stolen from a military base in northern Israel, according to the police on Wednesday.

The Israeli Defense Ministry had reported the theft of a tank from an army training base near Elikim Interchange north of Israel, the police said in a statement.

The tank was later found in a scrap junkyard.

"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," police said.

"Upon locating the stolen tank, a notification was sent to the Ministry of Defense and the police opened a joint investigation with the Ministry of Defense," the statement added.

A military statement said the tank was just the chassis of a Merkava Mk 2 that was decommissioned many years ago.

“It has no means of armament, and its systems do not function,” the statement said. "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.”

“The investigation of the incident continues, and a command investigation will also take place,” it added.

Last February, two veteran soldiers in the Israeli army stole a tank from the Golan Heights, in protest against government judicial overhaul.

Israel has been in political turmoil in recent months over a government plan to introduce judicial reforms seen by the opposition as a power grab in favor of the executive authority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, insists that the reform would enhance democracy and restore the balance among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi