Israel Police and the Shin Bet uncovered a rocket-manufacturing cell from the Jenin area of Samaria that carried out three test launches, the agencies said in a joint statement on Tuesday. JNS and i24NEWS reported the announcement. Six suspects in their 30s were arrested after a months-long investigation. A prosecutor’s statement was filed against them over the weekend, and an indictment is expected in the coming days.
A rocket body, three tests, instructions from abroad
Investigators said the suspects manufactured a rocket body and explosive devices and ran tests, including three launches. Weapons seized included an M16 rifle and an RPG body, JNS reported; i24NEWS called the RPG piece a component. The cell received information via a messaging app from an external party in contact with the primary suspect, on the materials needed to produce explosives. Written materials with instructions for manufacturing explosives, rockets, and explosive devices were also seized. The agencies said the weapons were intended for use against Israel and its security forces.
i24NEWS located the investigation in the Counter-Terrorism Unit of the Judea and Samaria District’s Central Unit, working with the Shin Bet. Jenin has long been a production and launch problem for Israeli forces. This file is a cell that built a rocket, test-fired it three times, took foreign instruction on explosives, and held an M16 and an RPG piece until the arrest. The prosecutor’s statement moves the six men toward indictment.
Tuesday’s joint statement is the disruption of that Jenin infrastructure. Six men, a rocket body, explosive devices, three test launches, a foreign messaging-app tutor, and a case filed. Police and the Shin Bet said they would keep acting to thwart such threats and bring those involved to justice.