20 Israelis under scanner for developing & selling illegal weapons to ‘unnamed’ Asian country

In a tweet, the Israeli Police posted a video that purportedly shows an illegal weapons test being carried out in the country. The suspects include former defence sector employees.

A screenshot from the video that allegedly showed an illegal weapons test in Israel | Twitter | @IL_police

New Delhi: A group of 20 Israelis, which includes former defence sector employees, is under investigation for allegedly developing, testing and selling illegal weapons to an unnamed Asian country, the Israeli Police announced Thursday.

In a series of tweets, the police said the suspects and “elements” in the Asian country communicated in secret in an attempt to disguise the cause for which the weapons systems are intended.

The investigation was carried out in cooperation with Israel’s Shin Bet security service.

1/3 בחודשים האחרונים נחקרו מעל 20 אזרחים ישראלים, בהם יוצאי התעשיות הביטחוניות, בחשד שעסקו בפיתוח, ייצור, ביצוע ניסויים ומכירת טילים משוטטים חמושים עבור מדינה באסיה שלא כדין. מהחקירה עלה כי קיבלו הנחיות לפעולה מגורמים הקשורים באותה מדינה, בתמורה לקבלת כספים וטובות הנאה pic.twitter.com/LhevCiNocg

— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) February 11, 2021

A video, accompanying the tweets, purportedly shows an illegal weapons test being carried out in Israel.

According to a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the unnamed country is a “US rival in Asia” and sources claim the case is “highly sensitive” with the ability to “affect Israel’s foreign relations and lead to a crisis between superpowers”. The details of the case and identity of the suspects remain under gag order.

Local reports also note the weapon systems in question are “armed loitering munitions,” also known as “suicide drones”. Loitering munitions are unmanned aerial vehicles designed to engage ground targets that are beyond line-of-sight. The weapons came into public prominence after the recent war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which was won by the former singularly through the use of such weapon systems.

Two weeks ago, the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) had made legitimate sales worth $100 million of this type of weapons system to unnamed Asian countries. Last July, reports suggested that the Indian Army also had an eye on a similar Israeli Spike Firefly ‘loitering’ ammunition.

Israeli law on defence exports

Israel’s defence exports are regulated according to a 2007 law. The law requires defence contractors to consider what and where Israeli weapons will be used to ensure companies aren’t knowingly selling weapons to nations that intend to use them to commit crimes.

“This affair underscores the potential damage to the security of the state inherent in illegal transactions carried out by Israeli citizens with foreign elements, including the concern that such technology could reach countries hostile to Israel,” said Shin Bet in a statement.

According to a Haaretz analysis, the investigation has high stakes because of four primary reasons. One, the smuggled technology could make its way to enemy nations. Two, former Israeli defence employees are involved, three, the individuals were well aware of the rules on defence exports and the fact that Israel had not authorised the deals and finally, there is a large amount of money involved in the case.