Israel thwarts large Iranian arms smuggling operation to West Bank
The IDF specified that this trafficking was part of an ongoing Iranian strategy aimed at destabilizing the region by arming terrorist cells
The Shin Bet and IDF announced on Wednesday that they had dismantled a major arms smuggling operation from Iran, intended for terrorist cells operating in the West Bank.
According to the military statement, the intercepted cargo included a considerable arsenal: 15 anti-tank rockets, 29 Claymore charges, 4 drones (including two explosive drones), an RPG launcher, 3 warheads, 20 hand grenades, 53 pistols, 7 assault rifles, 9 machine guns, as well as 750 pistol rounds.
Security services have arrested an arms trafficker from the Ramallah region, whose interrogation led to the uncovering of the supply network.
The operation resulted in the identification of the network responsible for the smuggling, linked to the special operations branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Quds Force, headed by Ezatollah Bakri.
The IDF specified that this trafficking is part of an ongoing Iranian strategy aimed at destabilizing the region by arming terrorist cells operating against civilians and Israeli forces.
Similar operations had already been foiled in March and November 2024.
Last July, the Shin Bet and the IDF eliminated two Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon involved in this smuggling network orchestrated from Tehran.