The head of the security detail for the Israeli Embassy in Cairo was given a hero's welcome Sunday when he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The guard, Yonatan [last name withheld for security reasons], is one of six Israeli security guards who returned home to Israel on Saturday morning after being trapped by an angry mob inside the embassy in Cairo. The episode began on Friday afternoon at a mass demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square, which quickly devolved into a violent outpouring of popular anger against Israel. Late Friday night, when a single door separated him from the angry Cairo mob, Yonatan texted his wife the words, "I love you." "When he sent me that message I realized something was wrong," his wife Hofit said during the meeting with the prime minister. "I didn't believe things would be okay until I finally saw him in Israel. Thank goodness I was surrounded by friends." Hugging the hero of the rescue operation, Netanyahu said, "I felt like your father, like I had to get you out of there. One door separated us from a strategic crisis ... We were a step away from a terrible tragedy," Netanyahu said. "I am glad you made no mistakes inside the embassy and the incident concluded successfully and without injuries. You were cool-headed and your conduct was exemplary." "Thank you," the security guard replied. "We wouldn't be here without you." He also thanked the prime minister for speaking to him throughout that tense night. Yonatan had asked everyone in the foreign ministry's situation room that if things ended badly, to inform his parents personally and not over the phone. "My son will celebrate his 30th birthday this week," Yonatan's mother said to the prime minister during the meeting. "You gave him the best present. You gave him his life back." Netanyahu gave the guard a copy of the book "Letters to Jonathan," which he wrote for his late brother Jonathan Netanyahu, who died while commanding Operation Entebbe. "For your courage and composure. Welcome home," he wrote as an inscription. Barak also heralded Yonatan. "You acted with courage in a very difficult situation. You exercised good judgement and acted in an impressive, responsible way."
'I felt like your father, I had to get you out of there'
At a welcoming reception for the six embassy security guards from Cairo, Prime Minister tells the head guard, Yonatan, "your conduct was exemplary" • Yonatan tells PM: "Without you, we wouldn't be here."
Load more...