The Israeli army claimed that on Friday, June 13, it thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons from Jordanian territory to the West Bank, in an incident that the occupation links to a series of escalating smuggling operations along the eastern border over the past months.
The army said in a statement that its forces had arrested a 20-year-old Palestinian from Bethlehem governorate, on suspicion of involvement in the operation.
According to the Israeli military account, the surveillance units monitored "unusual" movements near the border, before special forces launched a field operation that resulted in the seizure of 23 pistols and 4 assault rifles that were hidden in a large suitcase.
The army added that the weapons were transferred to its forensic examination units, while the detainee was transferred to the Shin Bet to complete the investigation.
The allegations come in the context of what Israel describes as "systematic attempts" to smuggle weapons into the West Bank across the Jordanian border, at a time when the region is witnessing escalating security tension and near-daily Israeli military operations in West Bank cities, which Israel links to what it says is the "activity of smuggling networks" operating for armed groups inside the West Bank.
On the other hand, no independent Palestinian account has been issued about the incident, while the occupation forces continue to strengthen their deployment along the eastern border, amid repeated Israeli warnings of what it called the "high level of smuggling" over the past two years.
Israel Creates Military Posts Off Jordan's Border
Israeli media revealed on Friday that the Israeli army has begun implementing a military step that is the first of its kind since the Wadi Araba Agreement in decades by creating new sites and fortifications along the eastern border with Jordan, especially in the Wadi Araba area and the areas adjacent to the Jordan River
Israel Army Radio said the move was "unusual", as groups of soldiers are managing sites that have been reactivated after being closed since the 1990s. The moves include the construction of advanced observation towers, the digging of trenches and earthen berms, and the installation of checkpoints equipped with electronic monitoring systems and thermal cameras, as part of what the occupation describes as tightening control to prevent infiltration and smuggling.
Western diplomatic sources believe that this new deployment reflects a remarkable shift in Israel's security doctrine towards the Jordanian border, which has been classified for many years as a stable "peace border" compared to the rest of the fronts, which opens the door to questions about the motives of the timing and the nature of the next phase.
Israel triples its forces on Jordan's border
The monitoring platforms revealed that the Israeli army has nearly tripled the size of its forces along the Jordanian border compared to the usual rates during the past years, pointing out that Israel has created the 96th Division (Gilead/Eastern Division), the first division to be established in more than 46 years, and includes tens of thousands of reservists and volunteers, with the task of controlling the northern and central parts of the border in the Jordan Valley area.
Israel has reinforced the 80th Division (Edom) with additional units to secure the southern part of the valley to Wadi Arava and Eilat, in addition to integrating the David Brigades as regional defense units to protect settlements and areas adjacent to the eastern borders and the West Bank.
The reports monitored the establishment of fixed military points within the security buffer zone extending to the Jordan River, operated by reservists, in addition to the establishment of "focal farms" positions to ensure the permanent logistical survival of the forces. The Israeli Ministry of War also rehabilitated old barracks and bases that had been closed since the signing of the peace agreement in 1994, in an investment estimated at millions of dollars.
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