The United States sold the ambassador’s residence in Israel for more than $67 million in July, according to an official Israeli record of the sale, which the State Department only confirmed several weeks later.

The State Department confirmed the sale in September but refused to identify the buyer or disclose the sale price of the sprawling beachfront compound in the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya. It has also declined to say how much the U.S. government is now paying to lease the property.

The Israeli business newspaper Globes has identified the buyer as the U.S. casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a strong supporter of both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A representative of Adelson said the billionaire had no comment.

At more than $67 million, it appears to be the most expensive single residence ever sold in Israel.

Records posted by Israel’s tax authority on Monday show that the sale of the official residence was concluded on July 31, several weeks before the State Department acknowledged it. They list the sale price as 230,353,536 Israeli shekels. That’s $67,592,000 according to that day’s official exchange rate.

In Israel, the sale price listed by the tax authority almost always matches the actual sale price, but in exceptional cases — for example, when a property is gifted to someone — the two may differ.

On Aug. 31, a month after the sale, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement that “it made sense” to sell the residency and said it expected the sale “to move ahead in the coming months.”

Just over a week later, the U.S. Embassy said “the buyer was selected solely on the basis of having submitted the highest and best offer.” It refused to say how many bids were made or identify any of the potential buyers.

Under the deal, Ambassador David Friedman, a driving force in the move of the embassy, will continue living at the estate until the spring of 2021, with the U.S. government leasing the property.

(AP)