(JNS) The Israel Defense Forces announced that it thwarted an attempt to smuggle submachine guns and ammunition into Israel from Lebanon.
According to the Israeli military, observation soldiers detected suspects approaching Israel from Lebanon in the vicinity of the Ghajar border town. The suspects threw a bag into Israeli territory before three additional suspects arrived in a vehicle from inside Israel and retrieved the bag.
“The suspects then threw the bag from the vehicle and continued driving. IDF soldiers and Israel Police officers who were dispatched to the scene apprehended the suspects within Israel and located the bag, which contained five MP5 submachine guns and M16 ammunition,” said the IDF.
“The IDF and the Israel Police will continue to operate against violations of Israel’s sovereignty and to thwart smuggling attempts and criminal activity in northern Israel,” stated the military.
Hezbollah is running an extensive cross-border drug- and arms-smuggling network, Israel Defense Forces Arabic-language spokesman Avichai Edri said, according to Kan News.
The IDF released information on April 26 on how Khalil Harb, a Hezbollah commander, is overseeing the cross-border smuggling of drugs and arms.
The network is being run from the home of Hatem Sheet, a drug dealer residing in the Southern Lebanese village of Kafr Kila, near the Israeli border, according to the IDF. Sheet, whose balcony apparently overlooks Israel, collects intelligence on the IDF’s operational patterns, according to the military.
Meanwhile, overnight on Monday into Tuesday, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) arrested a total of six Palestinian security suspects in counter-terror raids throughout Judea and Samaria.
Also overnight, the IDF, Israel Border Police, Israel Police and the Civil Administration had to escort Jewish worshippers to Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus (Shechem).
