Israel nabs trove of Iranian arms destined for West Bank attack — Shin Bet
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Shin Bet security agency reveals it recently foiled an attempt by Iran to smuggle large amounts of advanced weapons, including rockets, to terror operatives in the West Bank to be used in attacks on Israeli targets.
In a joint operation, the Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces captured a shipment of advanced weapons that the agency says were destined for terror operatives in the Jenin area.
Later, a site where a large number of weapons from Iran had been buried was uncovered, the Shin Bet says.
The Shin Bet does 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 Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ special forces units 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.
The Shin Bet says it has 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 forces,” the agency adds.