Israeli police announced Sunday morning that two individuals were arrested in Shfaram on suspicion of stealing a shoulder-fired MATADOR missile from the IDF during counter-crime operations in northern Israel over the weekend.
Authorities stated that one of the suspects is an illegal resident.
Both suspects have been transferred to the Galilee Region police station for interrogation, and prosecutors are expected to seek an extension of their detention.
The missile was recovered during a coordinated operation carried out by the Northern District police, the IDF’s anti-terrorist unit, and officers from the military’s northern command.
Since the start of 2026, police have seized more than 610 illegal weapons and made numerous arrests as part of an intensified campaign against violent crime.
In early August, a reservist and a civilian were indicted in connection with the theft and alleged trafficking of an M16 rifle taken from an IDF base in northern Israel.
The broader probe also uncovered a suspected network accused of selling cocaine and other narcotics, including to soldiers stationed at military bases in northern Israel. An IDF major linked to the drug investigation is expected to face separate indictment, according to a joint military-police statement.
The investigation was launched on June 20 after Military Police received a report that an M16 rifle had been stolen from a base in northern Israel.
Investigators arrested a 30-year-old reservist noncommissioned officer from Tiberias that evening, suspecting him of taking the rifle from a fellow soldier in his unit.
Once evidence suggested the weapon had reached criminal networks, the Northern District Police’s central investigative unit opened a joint inquiry with the northern branch of Military Police.
