Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Monday, November 21, 2022

Israeli forces foil gun-smuggling from Jordan, seize dozens of weapons

By Emanuel Fabian 21 November 2022, 2:08 pm 0 Edit

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent.

Weapons seized by security forces after an alleged gun-smuggling over the border with Jordan on October 21, 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle 73 firearms and weapon parts from Jordan into the West Bank this morning, officials say.

According to the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Police, soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras spotted two suspects near the border, close to the Palestinian village of al-Auja.

Troops and officers dispatched to the scene arrested one of the men, and seized the weapons in his possession.

The suspect, a Palestinian from the southern West Bank town of Yata, was found to be carrying 21 handguns, two M-16 assault rifles, and some 50 M-16 weapon parts — bolt carriers and upper receivers.

Police said officers took the suspect for further questioning.

Incidents of weapon smuggling on the border with Jordan are frequent.