After 30 guns stolen, IDF to pump NIS 15 million into armory security

IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot ordered the military to invest NIS 15 million ($4.2 million) into additional security measures for on-base armories on Monday, after more than 30 assault rifles were stolen from a military base last week, a senior IDF officer said.

The theft of military equipment is a well known phenomenon in the IDF, occurring on the level of both individual soldiers “accidentally” walking off with everything from bullets to jeeps, as well as criminal organizations actively breaking onto bases and training facilities in order to steal guns, grenades and missiles.

However, the theft last week of dozens of Tavor assault rifles pushed the issue up Eisenkot’s list of priorities, the senior official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This was an incident at another level. It was something we were fighting before, but this decision was made in light of this case,” the officer said.

Last Sunday, the army discovered the 33 guns had been stolen from the Sdei Teiman base in southern Israel, prompting internal investigations by the Southern Command and Military Police, as well as a civilian investigation by the Israel Police and Shin Bet security service.

On Monday, details of the case were placed under a court-issued gag order until July 4.

In light of the theft, the army will install a number of new security measures in military armories in order to prevent such an incident in the future, or at least make it more difficult.

These measures will include biometric scanners, additional cameras and improved locks.

It is unclear if the new tools will be effective at cracking down on larceny. Many of the cases of theft of military equipment — including last week’s, according to reports — were either carried out by soldiers serving on the bases in question or with their assistance.

The military already has a system in place of having soldiers register and sign out their guns, and armories are checked at least twice a day in order to see if any weapons are missing.

Last month, the army also issued new orders to reduce thefts, allowing soldiers to shoot at intruding thieves. In the past, troops could only give chase, but not open fire — a fact well known to the thieves.

This project is expected to cost some NIS 15 million ($4.2 million). It is not yet clear when all these added measures will be put in place and who will provide the security equipment to the military.

In July, an IDF officer, his driver, and his driver’s father were arrested for stealing dozens of grenades and missiles from a military base in the Negev Desert.

The 24-year-old company commander, Cpt. Shadi Bashir, along with the enlisted soldier who acted as his driver, Adi Zoabi, were arrested following an intensive three-month investigation.

According to investigators, Zoabi broke into an armory on the base in late April and stole fragmentation grenades and at least two different types of missiles, the Light Anti-tank Weapon (LAW) and the Man-portable Anti-Tank, Anti-DOoR (MATADOR).

The captain was allegedly present at the time of the theft and helped his driver afterwards sell the weapons to his father, Muhammad Zoabi, who has a criminal background, police said.