IDF intercepts smuggling drone carrying M16 rifles

The drone was found to be carrying 20 M16 rifles, along with additional weapons components.

By World Israel News Staff

IDF forces thwarted an overnight attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel along the country’s western border, the military said.

According to the IDF, “the Air Control Array identified a drone during the night that crossed from the west into Israeli territory in an attempt to smuggle weapons.”

Following the identification, “IDF forces from the Paran Brigade intercepted the drone,” the statement said. The drone was found to be carrying 20 M16 rifles, along with additional weapons components, including barrels and stocks.

“The weapons that were located were transferred for further handling by security forces,” the IDF added.

The incident comes amid a renewed surge in aerial weapons-smuggling attempts along Israel’s borders.

The military has been forced to confront increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods, including the use of attack helicopters to intercept hostile drones. As recently as Thursday, IDF forces intercepted two additional drones in the same general area.

In a separate incident last week, IDF observers detected a drone that crossed into Israeli airspace from Jordan as part of another weapons-smuggling attempt. Troops intercepted the drone and recovered 40 firearms, which were transferred to security forces for further processing.

The IDF said it continues to operate across multiple sectors to identify and thwart smuggling efforts, emphasizing that preventing the entry of illegal weapons remains a central component of Israel’s border defense and internal security mission.