Ministry Of Defense To Remove Giant Bull’s Eye From Building Roof

Tel Aviv, April 28 – The director-general of Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced this morning that the large target painted on the roof of the ministry complex would be painted over, in keeping with a new directive to bring the decor of the ministry’s facilities into line with the ministry’s mission.

Dan Harel told reporters at a press conference that the distinctive, round helicopter landing pad on the roof of the ministry’s main building, Matcal Tower, would be made a less obvious target. “It has come to our attention that the design we have maintained for years does not optimally serve its purpose,” he said. “A committee of Ministry of Defense officials discussed the bull’s eye and alternatives to it, and determined that the ministry complex would be better served by a helipad with some standard markings.”

The current design has been in place since the completion of the helipad in 2005, but records remain unclear on who requested or approved it. An internal review in 2006 found the design both out of character for the ministry and a potential aid to attackers who sought to target it. Helicopter pilots have long expressed bemusement at the markings, and aviators from the nearby Sde Dov and Hertzeliya airfields hold an annual informal contest to get the shadows of their aircraft to pass over the center of the target.

Google Earth does not show the target, in keeping with the company’s policy of accommodating the national security interests of the countries is depicts, but other commercial satellite image services are available to potential attackers, including, for example, Hezbollah, which is pursuing drone technology and presents a credible threat.

A similar defensive measure was taken last year when the IDF dismantled a series of crosshairs-shaped landscaping projects from the perimeters of two major air bases, citing similar concerns to those Harel voiced today.