JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Israeli Border Guard officers, acting on intelligence, discovered a significant cache of illegal weapons hidden at the bottom of a deep water well in the village of Al-Jib in the Jerusalem area, authorities said.
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The operation, conducted in the Benjamin Brigade sector, targeted the well after intelligence indicated weapons had been concealed there for suspected terrorist activity. Initial attempts by Border Guard fighters from the Jerusalem Envelope to reach the bottom were unsuccessful due to the well’s depth and difficult terrain conditions, even after officers dove inside.
Firefighting and rescue teams from Israel, along with a professional diver, were brought in for a complex multi-night operation. Large quantities of water were pumped from the well to allow dives to the bottom.
During the night, at the conclusion of the joint effort, security forces located and extracted several sealed bags containing a substantial arsenal: rifles, ammunition, cellular phones, explosive charges and remote activation devices.
No injuries were reported during the operation. The weapons were seized for further examination and the investigation is ongoing.