The Hebrew newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported today, Wednesday, that the Israeli police have launched an investigation into the theft of a Merkava tank from a military training base of the Israeli army near the "Elyakim" traffic junction.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli Ministry of Defense informed the police about the tank that was stolen from the Israeli army base, and upon receiving the report, coastal police officers began conducting searches, and shortly after, the tank was found in a junkyard.

The newspaper said that police officers arrested two individuals in their forties on suspicion of theft.

It added that according to the preliminary investigation into the circumstances of the case, the tank was not operational, and it was stolen from the scene for reasons that are still under investigation at this stage.

The newspaper clarified that the tank is old and has not been active for several years, and was used for soldier training, noting that the Israeli army possesses hundreds of armored vehicles from previous eras, which are sometimes deployed in firing zones as targets for bombardment.

An Israeli army spokesperson and a spokesperson from the Ministry of Defense said: "Following the information received last night by the Ministry of Defense regarding a stolen tank, the military police investigation unit opened an investigation in cooperation with the Israeli police."

They added, "The tank has no weapons, its systems are not operational, and it was used as a static tool for soldier training."