Israel charges Druze soldiers and Syrians in weapons-smuggling case

Israeli authorities have filed indictments against four Palestinian Druze from the Galilee and three Syrians from the town of Hadar, accusing them of involvement in a cross-border weapons-smuggling network operating during the fighting in southern Syria.

The charges were submitted on Thursday to the Central Court in Nazareth, according to details released by the Israeli Public Prosecution.

The indictments target Rami Abu Shah from Shefa-Amr, and Amir Salman, Anan Mulla, and Munir Abu Zahir from Yarka, all of whom serve in the Israeli army. Three Syrians from Hadar, located in territory Israel has controlled since the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, were also charged.

According to the prosecution, the defendants face accusations of “importing weapons, possessing them, and trafficking them,” as well as "conspiracy, and exploiting the circumstances of the fighting in Syria to smuggle weapons into Israel".

The indictments charge each defendant with "the crime of importing weapons, possessing them, carrying and transporting them, attempting to import them, completing weapons deals, and conspiring to commit a felony".

The prosecution says that "against the backdrop of the escalation south of Syria in 2025, the defendants managed to enter Syrian territory and make contact with parties in the town of Hadar, exploiting the situation to carry out illegal weapons deals".

One indictment claims that "Abu Shah contacted one of the Syrian defendants from Hadar, and during a visit (to Hadar) the two agreed that the Syrian defendant would buy a pistol so that Abu Shah could smuggle it into Israel".

It adds that "Abu Shah transferred thousands of dollars and additional equipment to the Syrian defendant", and that he later "bought a Kalashnikov rifle and smuggled it himself into Israel".

The prosecution further alleges that Abu Shah "recruited a soldier in the Israeli army serving in the area", who then "smuggled another pistol and 200 rounds of ammunition".

A separate incident described in the indictments states that "Abu Shah conspired with one of the Syrian defendants to import heavy military weapons into Israel",

The Syrian co-accused allegedly purchased RPG launchers and shells, an M16 rifle, a Kalashnikov rifle, and ammunition intended for smuggling, before the arrests halted the plan.

According to the indictment, Syrian defendants delivered the weapons "at a meeting point near a military site in Syria", where soldier Yazan Saleh received them "using a military truck", before transferring them into Israel. The shipment was later handed over "to the defendants from Yarka near a base in the Golan".

Israeli security services announced the arrests last Wednesday, saying that police, the Shin Bet, and the army had detained "a number of residents of the north of the country", in reference to the Palestinian Druze from the Upper Galilee.

The statement noted that among those arrested were active-duty and reserve soldiers suspected of involvement in smuggling "various types of weapons from Syria to criminal elements in Israel".