Why was recently ousted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting, evidently none-too-pleased, on a luggage cart at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday?

And was he flouting his own country’s public health guidelines?

That’s the question on the minds of many Israelis and observers here in the Bay Area after the longest-serving leader in Israel’s history was seen waiting in line, surrounded by a mess of luggage with wife Sara and son Yair, at the international transit hub. He wore a dark suit, a white shirt and a mask that, yes, covered his nose.

ביבי בסן פרנסיסקו. הוא לא נראה כ״כ שמח pic.twitter.com/4ypTJyjbUR

— Sam Sokol (@SamuelSokol) August 15, 2021

The photos, posted Sunday morning on Twitter by Israel’s Kann News, spurred a bit of controversy after the Opposition leader had been advised by the current prime minister and government health experts to refrain from traveling abroad because of the pandemic, Haaretz reported. Covid-19 cases in Israel, as in the U.S., have seen a steep rise since the start of July.

When contacted by J. Monday, the consul general’s office in San Francisco would not comment on Netanyahu’s whereabouts. Haaretz reported that he would be staying in the U.S. for two weeks.