Israeli security forces announced on Wednesday that they uncovered a weapons smuggling ring in northern Israel, arresting 12 suspects — five IDF soldiers in the standing army and reserves, four Israeli civilians, and three Syrian nationals.

The suspects were detained in the past month following an investigation carried out by the Shin Bet security agency, Israel Police, and IDF, over suspicions of involvement in a network smuggling various weapons from Syria into Israel, a joint statement said.

The security agency said that the five soldiers crossed the border into Syria near the Druze town of Hader on several occasions and brought back weapons that were then handed over to criminal elements in northern Israel.
Among the soldiers is Master Sgt. Iyad Halabi, 45, a resident of the northern Druze village of Yarka and a member of a regional brigade in northern Israel.

The other soldiers detained in the case are named as Suheil Maadi, 21, a reservist from Maghar; Salah Hanfis, 23, a standing army soldier from Shefa-Amr; Amal Aslim, 26, a reservist from Yarka; and Yazen Salah, 21, a noncommissioned officer from Maghar.
The Shin Bet and police said their investigation revealed that several days before the suspects were detained, the smuggling ring “worked to bring in an unusually large and exceptional cache of weapons, including explosives, RPGs, assault rifles, and a large quantity of additional ammunition.”