IDF attaché in India to receive luxury apartment

Defense Ministry decides to upgrade residence following February terror attack in New Delhi; new crib estimated to cost between $15-20,000 a month

Yoav Zitun|Published: 05.29.12 , 22:30

Three-and-a-half months after a terrorist attack in India injured an Israeli envoy's wife, the Defense Ministry decided to upgrade the official residence of the military attaché in New Delhi to a luxury apartment, Ynet learned on Tuesday.

The new residence is expected to cost between $15-20,000 per month, which is much higher than the apartment that has housed military attaches in New Delhi in the past.

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The Defense Ministry stated that the decision comes in light of concerns that extremist Islamic elements will try to execute another terrorist attack against Israeli representatives.

According to information obtained by Ynet, the Defense Ministry was examining several apartments for rent, one of which costs around $18,000 a month. The chosen apartment will eventually have to receive budgetary and security authorizations.

In response, the Ministry stated that "unfortunately, the threats against Israeli envoys, as was evident in the latest attack in India, in which an envoy's wife was injured, oblige us to pursue an extended security package, which includes overhead expenses that are intended to ensure the protection of the envoy and his or her family members.

"All Israeli representatives are protected according to security instructions issued by the Shin Bet, including military and Defense Ministry attaches all over the world. The military and Defense Ministry attaches in New Dehli play a critical role in the strategic relationship between Israel and India, and in the defense and economic cooperation between the states," the Ministry stated.

The terrorist attack in February injured Tal Yehoshua Koren, the wife of an Israeli Defense Ministry representative to India, while she was on her way to pick her children up from school. Hours earlier, another attack against Israeli targets was foiled in Tbilisi, Georgia.