Photo published by the Times of Israel of Israeli police officers following the seizure of weapons (Israeli press)
The army foiled what it described as a massive arms smuggling operation across the Jordanian border, and the smuggled weapons were destined for "criminal elements" at home, according to Israeli authorities, Army Radio said Thursday.
Israel police said in a statement that the shipment seized in bags contained 137 weapons, including 120 pistols, 17 M16 rifles and 250 cartridges worth NIS 6 million (about $1.6 million).
Police added that it was the largest smuggling operation on the Jordanian border, and talked about the arrest of 4 smugglers from the residents of Yeruham in the Negev desert.
According to the same source, two four-wheel drive vehicles used by smugglers were seized.
Israel Police said the thwarted smuggling operations "prevented illegal weapons from reaching criminal elements that harm the safety and well-being of the public."
The Times of Israel published a photo of Israeli police officers seizing the weapons, which reportedly dates back to November 23.
Last April, the Israeli army announced that it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons from Jordan, and talked about the arrest of 3 people who were riding in a car that came from Jordan in the Jordan Valley area, pointing to the seizure of bags containing dozens of different weapons and about 100 kilograms of gold.
In this context, the occupation forces arrested the Jordanian parliamentarian Imad Al-Adwan for allegedly smuggling quantities of weapons and gold before later handing him over to his country.
Source : Al Jazeera + Israeli Press + Anadolu Agency