Israeli police detain a senior Netanyahu aide suspected of obstructing a military leak investigation, casting doubt on his UK ambassadorship
JERUSALEM: Israeli police detained a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on suspicion of obstructing an investigation.
Local media identified the aide as Tzachi Braverman, Netanyahu’s chief of staff and the designated next ambassador to the UK.
Police stated the individual was “being questioned under caution” but did not name him.
The detention is reportedly linked to an investigation into leaks of sensitive military information to the foreign press during the Gaza war.
Former Netanyahu aide Eli Feldstein, who was arrested for leaking a classified document to Germany’s Bild tabloid in 2024, recently accused Braverman of trying to obstruct that probe.
Feldstein claimed Braverman met him after the leak and said he could “shut down” the army’s investigation.
In a media interview, Feldstein also alleged Netanyahu was aware of the leak and supported using the document to garner public backing for the war.
Israeli media reported police searched Braverman’s home on Sunday.
Feldstein is himself a suspect in the separate “Qatargate” scandal, involving allegations that Netanyahu associates promoted Qatar’s image.
He was taken into custody in late March over that affair.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called for Braverman’s ambassadorial appointment to be suspended immediately.
“It is unacceptable that someone suspected of involvement in obstructing a serious security investigation should be the face of Israel,” Lapid wrote on social media.
Israeli media reported that Braverman is not suspected of direct involvement in the Qatargate case.
