Thwarting of Iranian Efforts to Smuggle Weapons to the West Bank

Israel's internal security service (Shin Bet) announced that recent efforts by the Islamic Republic of Iran to smuggle large quantities of advanced weapons to the West Bank in order to arm 'terrorist elements' in the region have been thwarted. According to 'The Times of Israel,' citing a statement from Shin Bet, the intelligence agency and the Israeli army were able to discover and seize 'a shipment of advanced weapons intended for terrorist elements in the Jenin area' during a joint operation. The Israeli internal security service also reported that it had uncovered a location where a large number of weapons sent by the Islamic Republic were buried. Shin Bet stated that 'Unit 4000,' the special operations force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) led by Javad Ghafari, and the special operations unit of the Quds Force of the IRGC in Syria, known as '18840,' under the command of Asghar Bakri, were responsible for executing this plan. Among the weapons mentioned as having been discovered were 40 high-power cluster bombs, wireless activation systems, bombs, mortars, and sniper rifles. The Israeli internal security service indicated that the smuggling of these weapons is part of the ongoing campaign by the Islamic Republic to destabilize regional security by arming terrorist elements in the Judea and Samaria area. According to the Shin Bet statement, the goal was to carry out attacks against Israeli citizens and Israeli army forces. The head of the Iran section in the European Parliament stated that the Islamic Republic exports terror and repression. Israel warns about the formation of a 'terrorist front' supported by the Islamic Republic in the West Bank. The Israeli Foreign Minister stated that the IRGC and Hamas are attempting to smuggle weapons and money to the West Bank. A news agency close to the IRGC reported that the Islamic Republic has provided 'anti-ship ballistic missiles' to the Houthis.