Israel intercepts Iranian weapons meant for terrorists

Israeli officials on Monday said they intercepted a massive shipment of advanced weapons from Iran to help Palestinian militants in the West Bank launch terrorist attacks against Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, revealed the masterminds behind the smuggling efforts as Juad Ofri and Munir Mukdach, both of whom have been linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The State Department has designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization since April 2019. 

The seized weapons include 31 rocket-propelled grenades, 50 handguns, 25 grenades, grenade launchers, cluster bombs, anti-tank mines, and anti-tank shoulder missiles, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Israeli authorities said they uncovered the Iranian shipping network during their interrogations of arrested Palestinian militants, with the smuggled weapons intended to help destabilize the West Bank and carry out more effective terrorist attacks against Israel. 

Israel’s confiscation of the Iranian weapons came after the Biden administration on March 13 renewed a sanctions waiver allowing Iran to access more than $10 billion in frozen assets. A group of Republican lawmakers had urged the administration to not renew the waiver, writing in a letter, “By waiving the application of sanctions, the Administration is maintaining a financial lifeline for the Iranian regime, even as it continues to support terrorist organizations around the world.”