Israel uncovers Iranian weapons smuggling operation in Judea & Samaria

IDF troops and Shin Bet (ISA) personnel, working in a joint operation, recently uncovered and thwarted a significant Iranian attempt to smuggle advanced weapons into Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).

The weapons recently seized by the ISA and the IDF originated in Iran and were intended to arm terrorist operatives in Jenin, located in Samaria just south of the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. After uncovering the smuggling operation, the forces located an additional site where the majority of the weapons cache had been buried.

During the operation, the Israeli forces seized several rockets, and 40 powerful Claymore explosives of various types, some including wireless activation systems, bombs, mortars and launchers, sniper rifles and multiple pistols. 

The IDF said that the 4000th Division, which is the Special Operations Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization – led by Jawad Ghafari and the Special Operations Unit of the Quds Force, in Syrian territory (18840) under the command of Unit 840's leader, Etsar Bakri – were responsible for overseeing the smuggling operation. 

In recent months, Shin Bet reported identifying multiple attempts by Iranian forces to smuggle advanced weapons into Israel, intended to be used by terrorists operating in the region of Judea and Samaria.

The IDF Spokesman’s Office stated, “This is part of an ongoing Iranian campaign to destabilize the region's security by arming terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria, to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.” 

Weapons smuggling has been a persistent problem for Israel, especially along the porous and hard-to-patrol border with Jordan. While the recently announced high-tech security fence is expected to help mitigate the problem, the lack of continuous fencing and limited guarding along Israel’s longest border will continue to pose a serious security challenge. 

The Netanyahu government has previously promised to secure the border, and the IDF recently created a new division to handle security in the Jordan Valley.

The Israeli military said that Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces would “continue to monitor and thwart in advance any Iranian activity aimed at smuggling weapons into Israel and the Judea and Samaria area.” 

With the ceasefire in Lebanon, the terror threat in Judea and Samaria appears set to become a central focus in the Iranian proxy war against Israel.

Until the new security fence is completed, the efforts of Shin Bet forces, IDF soldiers and the Border Police will be critical in preventing the flow of Iranian weapons into the Palestinian Territories. 

Over the past years, Israeli security forces revealed numerous Iranian plots to smuggle “game-changing” weapons into Judea and Samaria via Jordan. Just this past March, Shin Bet, confiscated a large Iranian shipment of advanced weaponry.