Stolen Israeli Rocket Launcher 'Matador' Recovered Near Shfaram

Northern District Police officers on Saturday apprehended two suspects near Shfaram, confiscating a stolen Israeli military "Matador" shoulder-fired rocket launcher. One of the suspects was identified as an illegal resident. Both were taken for questioning by the Galilee District Detective Unit, and the police intend to request an extension of their remand in court.

The "Matador," known in the IDF as the "Nutcracker," is a single-use, 90mm anti-material weapon. It was first used operationally during Operation Cast Lead in 2009 and is supplied to official security bodies in countries including Germany, Britain, and Ukraine. Despite its intended use for breaching structures, destroying fortifications, and engaging armored vehicles and terrorists in enclosed spaces, the weapon has been found in the hands of criminal elements in recent years, having been leaked from IDF bases.

Authorities expressed concern that the recovered rocket could have been used in the ongoing violent conflict between two crime families in Shfaram and its surroundings, a dispute that has resulted in approximately 40 deaths in recent years. The weapon's destructive power, capable of penetrating concrete walls and causing significant blast damage, makes its possession by criminal groups an unprecedented danger to the public. Its deployment in a civilian area, residential neighborhood, or during a gang war could lead to widespread destruction and heavy civilian casualties.