Israel Reveals Largest Ammunition Theft in Army’s History

Archival photo of the Israeli Tzeelim military base in the Negev desert
Archival photo of the Israeli Tzeelim military base in the Negev desert
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Israel Reveals Largest Ammunition Theft in Army’s History

Archival photo of the Israeli Tzeelim military base in the Negev desert
Archival photo of the Israeli Tzeelim military base in the Negev desert

A military base has been subjected to the largest theft in its history, mainly involving a large quantity of ammunition, according to an Israeli army spokesman.

Last week, an ammunition warehouse was stormed in a military base in southern Israel, during which ammunition was stolen, the spokesman said in a statement on Sunday.

The police opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident and a report will be sent to the military prosecution, he added.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the site stormed was the Tzeelim military training base in southern Israel, from which more than 93,000 bullets were stolen.

This was one of the largest ammunition thefts in the history of the army, especially from such a large and fortified military base that had seen several thefts of weapons and military equipment during the past decade, sources added.

The robbers took advantage of a security hole to storm the army’s central ammunition warehouse, an expert said, noting that they learned the timing or guard shifts at the military base and were able to access the ammunition store by obtaining the help of some soldiers from the inside.

They were able within a few minutes to transfer hundreds of ammunition boxes from the store to cars.

The stolen ammunition is worth millions of dollars. Israeli police fear it has been sold to criminal parties, as well as in areas run by the Palestinian Authority.

No suspects have been arrested yet.

The police is leading the investigation in the south along with the military police. Perpetrators are assumed to be a gang from the Bedouin towns in the Negev desert.

Yedioth Ahronoth Newspaper has indicated that the theft took place after the army and the interior ministry decided in the past two years to wage a fierce war against the gangs that control the Negev.

“This comes as part of a series of new steps and measures in an attempt to combat the weapons theft phenomenon, especially in the south.”

These gangs are specialized in smuggling drugs and weapons at the border with Egypt, the news website explained, noting that their business is currently flourishing through a greater number of successful smuggling operations than those being thwarted.

The Israeli army has invested millions of dollars in improving the protection systems in this military base and other bases in the Negev, and it purchased advanced siren systems, used surveillance equipment, and installed cameras and radars.



Rubio Arrives for NATO Talks as Allies Wait to Learn of US Plans for a Likely Drawdown in Europe

US' Secretary of State Marco Rubio steps off the plane as they arrive for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)
US' Secretary of State Marco Rubio steps off the plane as they arrive for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)
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Rubio Arrives for NATO Talks as Allies Wait to Learn of US Plans for a Likely Drawdown in Europe

US' Secretary of State Marco Rubio steps off the plane as they arrive for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)
US' Secretary of State Marco Rubio steps off the plane as they arrive for a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration’s new envoy to NATO arrived Thursday in Brussels, where the alliance’s top diplomats are hoping they’ll shed light on US security plans in Europe.

European allies and Canada are deeply concerned by President Donald Trump’s readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, as the US works to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, The Associated Press said.

Recent White House comments and insults directed at NATO allies Canada and Denmark — as well as the military alliance itself — have raised alarm and confusion, especially with new US tariffs targeting US friends and foes alike.

Since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that US security priorities lie elsewhere — in Asia and on the US's own borders — the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen.

In Europe and Canada, governments are working on “burden shifting” plans to take over more of the load, while trying to ensure that no security vacuum is created if US troops and equipment are withdrawn from the continent.

These allies are keen to hear from Rubio what the Trump administration’s intentions are and hope to secure some kind of roadmap that lays out what will happen next and when, so they can synchronize planning and use European forces to plug any gaps.

In a statement, newly confirmed US ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said that “under President Trump’s leadership, NATO will be stronger and more effective than ever before, and I believe that a robust NATO can continue to serve as a bedrock of peace and prosperity.”

But he added: “NATO’s vitality rests on every ally doing their fair share.”

Whitaker affirmed the US commitment to NATO’s collective security guarantee, which says that an attack on any ally must be considered an attack on them all, but that his brief would also be to encourage Europe to lead on “peace, security, and the rebuilding of Ukraine.”

The statement said allies should demonstrate that NATO takes seriously threats from China.