Israeli Police Seize Loaded M-16 and Ammunition in Negev Operations

Israeli police officers from the Rahat station and the National Guard discovered a loaded M-16 rifle hidden in a sandbox at a kindergarten, along with dozens of bullets and a magazine. These findings were part of several focused operational activities conducted during the week by Southern District police in cooperation with Border Police fighters and canine units. In one operation, a loaded M-16 rifle and two full magazines were seized from a residence in the Bedouin local council of Ar'ara near Arad. All confiscated items were transferred to the Ar'ara police station for further investigation.

These intelligence-driven operations aim to locate and confiscate illegal weapons, prevent shooting incidents, and curb escalation amid violent family conflicts within the Bedouin sector. As part of the "Iron Net" operation, police also raided a site near a construction area in Rahat last week, arresting a 35-year-old local suspect and uncovering concealed weapons including a Glock pistol, two loaded pistol magazines, an M-16 rifle, a box of 5.56mm ammunition, and two M-16 magazines.

The following day, with the assistance of a canine unit, police found a Glock pistol and an explosive device hidden under a wooden platform in a yard. A locked closet in a bedroom contained boxes with 25 cans of 5.56mm ammunition, seven M-16 magazines, and M-16 rifle parts. Three suspects aged 17, 19, and 56, all residents of Rahat, were arrested and brought in for questioning. These efforts are part of ongoing measures to combat illegal arms possession and violence in the Negev Bedouin communities.