A delegation from Israel's National Security Council (NSC) headed by National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat has lost classified documents on weapon deals en route to India.
The documents, left at an Israeli restaurant, were recovered by chance, and a probe carried out by the council found that their loss had not inflicted damage on Israel's security.
Ben Shabbat traveled with several members of the council to India, where he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Also, a phone-call was carried out between Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During meetings with members of the NSC, several weapon deals were discussed including advanced arms manufactured by defense industries, such as spy planes, unmanned aircraft, anti-tank missiles, cannons, and radar systems.
Ahead of the trip, Ben Shabbat's aide printed several documents that included classified information. Prior to boarding the plane, Ben Shabbat and his team dined at a restaurant and they left the case there.
As the delegation continued its trip to India, a waiter at the restaurant found the case and opened it. He saw the documents, leafed through them and realized they were critical.
The waiter, then, contacted a friend whose mother works for the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi. The friend flew to India and gave her mother the documents; the mother passed them on to the security officer of the embassy.
Afterward and at the directive of Prime Minister's bureau chief Yoav Horowitz, the council launched a probe into the incident. Ben Shabbat's aide received a warning.
