Israeli Police Thwart Major Gun Smuggling Operation Amid Rising Tensions

Israeli police seized 74 handguns being smuggled from Jordan, a day after a Jordanian Bedouin killed three Israelis at a border crossing. The incident led to temporary closure of Israel's land crossings.

Tel Aviv [Israel], September 9 (ANI/TPS): In a strategic operation, Israeli police confiscated 74 handguns being smuggled from Jordan at the Eilat border crossing on Monday. This major seizure comes just one day after a Jordanian citizen murdered three Israelis at another border crossing.

At the Yitzhak Rabin border crossing in Eilat, inspectors discovered 74 handguns and 61 magazines hidden in a vehicle entering from Jordan. The police detained the driver and a passenger, both residents of the Negev Bedouin town of Bir Hadaj. On the previous day, Jordanian Bedouin Maher Diab al-Jazi shot and killed three Israelis at the Allenby border crossing, near Jericho. After approaching the cargo area in a truck from the Jordanian side, he exited the vehicle during an inspection and began firing at guards, who returned fire and killed Al-Jazi.

In the aftermath of the attack, Israel temporarily closed its three other land crossings. Although Allenby reopened to pedestrian traffic on Monday, it remained closed to trucks. Primarily used by Palestinians in Judea and Samaria for travel to Jordan, Allenby is one of the key border crossings in the region. Israeli travelers typically use crossings in Eilat and the northern Jordan Valley.

The three Israelis killed were identified as 61-year-old Yohanan Shahouri from Ma'ale Efraim, 65-year-old Yuri Birnbaum from Moshav Naama, and Adrian Marcelo Podmesser from Ariel. The attack prompted celebrations in Jordan where people set off fireworks and distributed sweets. (ANI/TPS)

(With inputs from agencies.)