‘IDF apprehended ship, detained suspected arms smugglers’

IDF naval forces seized a foreign ship in the Red Sea and arrested several of its crew members on suspicion of involvement in a large-scale weapons smuggling operation earlier this year.

The seizure was ordered by the IDF, based on information compiled by intelligence officials that indicated that the ship may have been transporting large quantities of weapons to terrorist organizations.

Nothing turned up in the soldiers’ search, and the ship’s crew members, all of Yemeni origin, were released after briefly being detained and questioned by defense officials.

Reports on the incident were published on Tuesday after being barred by a gag order for fear that they would harm the intelligence community’s attempt to thwart future smuggling attempts.

An IDF spokesman told the Times of Israel that “the IDF and security forces will continue to combat efforts to arm terrorist organizations who aim to harm Israeli citizens.”

The spokesman declined to say whether the actual smugglers were caught or which terrorist organization was the intended recipient of the smuggled arms.