Police say they arrested more than 20 people last night suspected of stealing weapons from IDF bases in Israel’s south.
Officers raided “dozens of criminal targets in Ashdod and Bedouin communities in the Negev” as part of an ongoing, year-long probe led by the Lachish region’s investigations and intelligence unit.
The weapons stolen from IDF bases are suspected to have been used in over 50 assassination attempts and other violent crimes, police claim.
Theft of bullets, grenades and other weapons from IDF bases has prompted Israel to increase the presence of Border Police in the country’s south in recent years. According to law enforcement, such incidents have become more common since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
“Criminal gangs exploited the chaos of the war to steal weapons from the IDF in order to carry out assassination attempts. They were wrong to think we wouldn’t come after them,” says Ch. Supt. Shahar Levy, who is leading the Lachish district police’s investigation, in a statement.
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