Israeli Authorities Assess Disappearance of Mally and Liel Yehalomi in Austria as Non-Security Incident

Mally and Liel Yehalomi, an Israeli mother and daughter, have been missing in Vienna since last Friday. The last contact with them was around 5:45 p.m. on Friday when they sent a video from the apartment they rented in the Austrian capital. They left the apartment sometime on Saturday, but no formal check-out was recorded, and their whereabouts have been unknown since. They were expected to return to Israel on a flight yesterday but did not board.

Israeli officials, including a representative from the Israeli police stationed in Austria and a command center at the Foreign Ministry, are coordinating the investigation. The Foreign Ministry’s lead role, rather than intelligence agencies like Mossad or the National Security Council, suggests the disappearance is likely a civilian matter rather than a security or nationalist incident. Austrian police have also stated there is no suspicion of a criminal act and have deployed special units to assist in the search.

Israeli security agencies conducted intelligence checks to explore possible involvement of Iranian or pro-Palestinian groups but found no evidence supporting this theory. Efforts are now focused on tracking the women’s cell phone locations and checking nearby hospitals for unidentified patients. Family members, including Mally’s brother Moshe Yehalomi, have expressed their concern and are cooperating with authorities, emphasizing they rely solely on official findings and dismiss social media rumors. Moshe noted the trip was a surprise planned by the daughter for her mother’s 50th birthday, and the family does not know their travel itinerary.

Search efforts continue intensively in Vienna, with Israeli consular support and private rescue teams involved. The case remains open as authorities pursue all leads to locate the missing Israelis.