IDF foils weapons smuggling attempt via drone at Egyptian border
Three rifles were retrieved by Israeli forces after intercepting and locating the drone.
The IDF foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel through the Egyptian border on Friday night, the military said Saturday.
Military surveillance identified a drone that crossed into Israeli territory in the area.
Israeli forces retrieved three rifles after intercepting the drone.
The weapons were transferred to security forces for further processing.
Drones from Egypt becoming larger issue?
The attempted weapons smuggling on Friday comes after IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced orders days earlier to “declare war” on any attempts by Hamas or other adversaries to attack Israel with drones or to use them to smuggle weapons across the Egypt-Israel border for criminal purposes.
The drone the IDF thwarted which was smuggling drugs from Egypt into Israel on the border between the two countries, March 8, 2025. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)
Zamir led a meeting on the issue and instructed the IDF to make additional efforts in intercepting drone smuggling from Egypt, adding that it’s “not merely a criminal threat but a security threat with terror potential.”
Late last month, the IDF intercepted another drone used to smuggle rifles across the Egyptian border.
The IDF at the time did not clarify whether the weapons had been intended for Gazan terrorists or criminal gangs in southern Israel.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and James Genn contributed to this report.
