Israeli security forces on Tuesday thwarted the smuggling of weapons and grenades over the Israel-Lebanon border.
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A joint military-police operation saw troops seize over 100 grenades and several weapons believed to have been intended to carry out terrorist attacks.
Defense officials said the investigation is exploring the potential involvement of Hezbollah – the Lebanon-based Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist group – in the smuggling attempts.
According to available details, military lookouts identified several suspects approaching the Lebanese side of the security fence in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Security forces scrambled to the area and discovered the weapons.
Hezbollah has been implicated in past attempts to smuggle weapons into Israel. The Shiite group often contracts Israeli criminals to assist in its smuggling operations, as part of the ways Hezbollah is using with aim of forming terrorist infrastructure in Israel.
A defense source told Israel Hayom that grenades are usually not part of weapon hauls seized on the border. The fact that such a large quantity was nabbed and that it included fragmentation grenades – a military-grade weapon designed to break into small, lethal, fast-moving iron fragments once the TNT core explodes – raises concerns that they were meant to target crowded public places.
A statement by the Israel Police lauded the troops' action: "Northern District Border Police officers operate across the entire northern sector bordering Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. These elite fighters work with other Central Unit officers, year-round, to prevent and thwart drugs and weapons smuggling into Israel."
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