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.
Discover Israel's most beloved poet
She died more than four decades ago, but Leah Goldberg remains a magnetic and enigmatic figure: Israel’s most beloved poet, a powerful woman who lived with her mother and never married, who reinvented herself from the ashes of World War I through her magical writing.
You can screen 'The Five Houses of Leah Goldberg' June 4-11. Join The Times of Israel Community today to support our work and watch this and other outstanding documentary films in our DocuNation series.
I want to see it
I want to see it
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
