A report was received from the defence ministry "about a tank stolen from an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) training base near Elyakim junction," police said.

Forces began searching the area in northern Israel and soon enough "found the tank in a scrapyard in the area of Nesher," a nearby town.

Police said they were investigating why and how the tank was stolen.

The Israeli army said the tank was a Merkava 2, "decommissioned many years ago".

"The tank was stripped of armament, and its systems do not work," the army said in a statement, noting that it was stationary and used for training in a firing zone accessible to hikers.

It wasn't the first time an old tank was stolen in Israel in recent months.

In February, a tank was stolen from a memorial site, to be used as part of a protest against the government.