Panic scenes erupted yesterday at an Israeli airport after a family from the United States showed up with an unexploded ordnance. Foreigners found it in the Golan Heights and planned to keep it as a souvenir, according to the Associated Press, quoted by BTA.
Video posted on the Internet shows passengers looking for a place to hide, running away and shouting in the departure hall of Ben Gurion International Airport.
Airport officials said security officials sounded the alarm when they found an unexploded grenade. At least one person was injured while trying to run along the conveyor belt.
The airport’s work returned to normal after the grenade was safely removed and the family was released after questioning.
אורי המתין בתור בנתב”ג, מעד ונפצע בינוני במהלך ההמולה עקב הפגז מהגולן: “היו המון צעקות, פשוט הרגשתי שאני צריך לברוח על החיים שלי”https://t.co/NxsZIjTab3@RubinsteinRoy pic.twitter.com/Aij4HKGT2R
— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) April 28, 2022
Israel captured the Golan Heights in Syria during the 1967 war. Fierce fighting also took place in the area during the Arab-Israeli war six years later. Areas where unexploded ordnance is known to be located are clearly marked and fenced.
Israel annexed the strategic plateau in 1981, and today it is a major tourist attraction with wineries, hiking trails and a small ski resort, according to the AP.