Israel says it nabbed large trove of Iranian arms destined for West Bank attack
Shipment on way to terror operatives in Jenin included claymores, RPGs and rockets; Defense Ministry announces plans to build fence along Jordanian border
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Shin Bet recently foiled an attempt by Iran to smuggle large amounts of advanced weapons, including rockets, to terror operatives in the West Bank for use in attacks on Israeli targets, the security agency revealed Wednesday.
In a joint operation, the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces captured a shipment of advanced weapons destined for terror operatives in the Jenin area, the organization said in a statement.
Later, a site where a large number of weapons from Iran had been buried was uncovered, the statement added.
The Shin Bet did not provide further details on where the weapons were hidden or where the shipment was captured.
Among the weapons captured were 40 “quality” claymore-type explosive devices and 33 makeshift claymores, along with remote detonation systems; six RPG launchers and 24 RPGs; three 107mm rockets; two 60mm mortar launchers and 20 mortars; six M16 assault rifles and one M4 rifle; seven sniper rifles; and 37 handguns.
According to the Shin Bet, two units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ special forces — Unit 4000 and Unit 18840 — were responsible for the plot.
Unit 4000 is the special operations division of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization, headed by Jawad Ghafari; Unit 18840 is the special operations unit of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria, which is subordinate to the head of Iran’s clandestine Unit 840, Asghar Bakri.
A captured shipment of Iranian weapons destined for terror operatives in the West Bank, in a video released by the Shin Bet on November 27, 2024. (Shin Bet)
The Shin Bet said it had identified renewed attempts to smuggle advanced weapons into the West Bank in recent months.
“The seized weapons are part of an ongoing Iranian campaign to destabilize security in the region, by arming terror cells in Judea and Samaria whose goal is to carry out attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF troops,” a statement from the agency read.
The Shin Bet carried out similar operations intercepting Iranian weapons on their way to the West Bank in March as well as in August of last year.
Weapons smuggling is a constant challenge for Israel along its long, porous eastern border with Jordan. Unlike Israel’s other frontiers — with Egypt, Lebanon and Syria — the border with Jordan is largely open, often without significant fencing, and guarding is limited, making it an easy channel for large-scale smuggling.
On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said it had begun preliminary work to establish a fence along the entire border with Jordan to prevent infiltrations into the country.
The move to upgrade defenses along the 309-kilometer (192-mile) border running from Eilat through the West Bank to the tip of the Golan Heights, ordered by new Defense Minister Israel Katz, is the latest attempt by the government to take up the plan, which has long been bandied about but never advanced.
The work will include mapping out potential environmental hazards, conducting soil surveys, and laying an initial section of the fence with surveillance equipment and networking infrastructure.
