Israeli security forces uncover drone-based weapons smuggling network in Negev

Tel Aviv [Israel], January 1 (ANI/TPS): Israeli security agencies said Thursday they had uncovered a weapons smuggling network in the Negev desert that used drones to ferry arms across Israel's southern border from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
In a joint statement, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), and Israel Police said four Israeli citizens from the Bedouin community of Masoud al-Azazma in southern Israel were arrested about a month ago and are now facing charges.
According to investigators, the suspects were involved in multiple attempts to smuggle weapons into Israel using drones launched from the Sinai. During one such attempt, IDF forces shot down a drone carrying four machine guns, which were seized at the scene.
"The investigation revealed significant weapons smuggling activity using drones along the southern border," a security official said. Another official noted that the suspects also "monitored IDF communications as part of their smuggling operations," an act that could have compromised military activity in the area.
Prosecutors filed an indictment in the Beers-Sheva District Court on Thursday.
"Smuggling weapons across Israel's borders serves as a supply pipeline for terrorist organizations and can cause serious harm to national security," the joint statement said.
In November, Defence Minister Israel Katz changed the army's rules of engagement, while the National Security Council is pushing to classify the smuggling as a terror threat -- a legal designation that officials say will give security bodies broader tools to counter the threat.
During a three-month period in 2025, nearly 900 drone smuggling attempts from Egypt were recorded, authorities told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee in mid-October. That number almost doubled the 464 attempts reported in the same period in 2024. (ANI/TPS)