McCartney security 'greater than Bush'

A team of 5,000 security guards is ensuring the safety of Sir Paul McCartney as he plays in Tel Aviv.

The singer kicked off tonight's historic concert in front of an estimated 40,000 screaming fans with Beatles song 'Hello, Goodbye'.

The vast effort to protect him dwarfs the operation on behalf of President Bush during his visit to Israel, reports The Mirror.

The high level of security comes after death threats were made against the former Beatle by extremists. Undeterred, McCartney vowed that the concert in honour of Israel's 60th birthday would go ahead, saying he wanted to take a message of "peace and love" to the Middle East.

One insider said: "No one is taking anything for granted. The level of security is unlike anything we’ve seen. Everything is being done to ensure that this passes peacefully and without incident."

The 66-year-old is being guarded by 20 agents from Israel’s elite Mossad intelligence organisation as well as officers from Britain's MI6. The bulk of the security squad is made up Israeli police officers, who have set up a cordon around the Tel Aviv park where 70,000 fans are watching the show.

The cost of the operation is said to be £1.5million, to be split between the show’s promoters and the Israeli government.