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.
