Palestinian terrorist groups continue to exploit Israel’s relaxation of Gaza’s naval blockade to smuggle weapons meant to strike the Jewish state, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, said in a Times of Israel report.

Israel’s Navy detained a Hamas-affiliated operative last month, accused of smuggling weapons and outlawed building materials into the Gaza Strip. Under interrogation, Salim Jamal Hassan Naman admitted that he helped smuggle in “materials used in the production of rockets, like fiberglass resin,” Shin Bet said.

In April, Israel allowed Gaza’s boats to operate up to nine nautical miles from the shores, extending the permitted distance from six miles. Naman was detained after deviating beyond the new threshold. Though the operative is most closely aligned with Hamas, he acknowledged that the smuggling operation involved supplying weapons to various Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Naman also revealed Hamas’ plans to exploit Gazan fisherman as a “camouflage” for the group’s terrorist operations.

“The information revealed in this interrogation, along with the interrogations of the other Hamas terror operatives who have been arrested recently, reveal another aspect of the numerous efforts made by Hamas in order to prepare itself for advancing its violent terrorist actions. This time, it’s through taking advantage of the relief provided by Israel for the population of Gazan fisherman,” the Shin Bet said.

Hamas continues to focus its efforts on enhancing its terrorist capabilities to confront Israel militarily and terrorize its population. Instead of utilizing the extra nautical miles off the coast to the benefit of Gazan fisherman, Hamas squanders the opportunity to improve the Strip’s economic situation. Whether by rebuilding its underground tunnel infrastructure or exploiting naval smuggling opportunities, Hamas clearly prioritizes its violent Jihad against Israel over the well-being of its citizens

by Michael Bachner

Israeli police have seized pipe bombs, ammunition, and thousands of springs for grenades and rockets in two separate raids over the past day, thwarting plans to attack Israelis both within Israel and from Gaza.

The suspected pipe bombs and ammunition were found during a search of a house in the Israeli-Arab town of Qalansuwa, located in central Israel, police announced Thursday. The objects were seized and the residents, a 25-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, were arrested and were set to appear in court in Petach Tikva on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the police and Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency announced Wednesday that they thwarted an attempt to smuggle 60,000 spring kits for hand grenades, mortars, and rockets into Gaza. The springs were loaded onto a car by a man in his twenties from the Bedouin town of Rahat, after he fraudulently purchased them from an Israeli factory that works with the military. The materials were hidden in a warehouse in the community of Ami Oz, near Gaza.

According to the police, the man was planning to smuggle the springs into Gaza to be used by Hamas and other local terror organizations. He allegedly planned on smuggling 500,000 springs in total, police said. He has been arrested, along with two other suspects, and taken for questioning.

“Had the smuggling attempt succeeded, the springs would enable the terror organizations to produce 60,000 hand grenades, mortars, and rockets to be used against Israeli citizens,” said a police spokesperson. “Our activities against the attempts to smuggle weapon parts and materials into Gaza through the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings are ongoing.”

“This is another blow to Hamas’s enormous efforts to produce weaponry while it abuses Israel’s humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza,” said Ofir Gendelman, the prime minister’s official spokesperson to the Arab media.

Security forces early Thursday morning discovered a weapons cache in Abu Dis, an Arab town in the PA, bordering Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported. The weapons included a Carl Gustav sub-machine gun, ammunition, pipe bombs, Molotov cocktails, and commando knives. Two lathes used to produce improvised explosive devices (IED). A local resident was arrested.

Israel Radio also reported that security forces arrested in Judea and Samaria overnight eight Arabs suspected of terrorism and membership in terrorist groups.

Also on Thursday morning, a search for weapons and ammunition in an Arab casba revealed knives, a weapons strip, gunpowder, four Molotov cocktails, improvised weapons, and knee protectors. One man was arrested. Military sappers detonated the explosives.

IDF soldiers arrested 19 terror suspects overnight in various locations around Judea and Samaria.

In addition, the troops uncovered a weapons cache in the city of Hebron and confiscated two M-16 assault rifles, a pistol and some ammunition.

All suspects were transferred to Shin Bet security personnel for interrogation.

IDF and Border Guard Police officers captured 16 Arab wanted suspects overnight in joint operations throughout Judea and Samaria.

Three of the fugitives were arrested in Jenin.

Twelve of those taken into custody were suspected of involvement in terrorism and violence towards civilians and security officers.

In Samaria, a Hamas operative was arrested near Shechem. One fugitive was arrested in the city, and another was arrested in Rafidia, near Shechem.

Two were arrested in al-Bira, one was arrested in Katana and another was arrested in al-Kabiba, all villages around the Palestinian Authority capital city of Ramallah.

In Judea, two fugitives were arrested in the town of Sair, north of Hebron. One fugitive was taken into custody in Ta’amra.

All of the detainees were transferred to security personnel for interrogation.

In addition,IDF soldiers discovered a weapons cache in Beit Kakhil, north of Hebron.

Among the items uncovered were various pieces of equipment, a rifle and a quantity of ammunition, which were in the possession of a member of the Hamas terror organization who was present when the cache was discovered.

The suspect was arrested and transferred to security personnel for interrogation.

Russia has begun to directly arm Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Syria, according to a report this week by The Daily Beast.

Hezbollah field commanders serving in Syria told the news outlet they are receiving “heavy weapons” for their troops “with no strings attached.” Among the arms they reportedly have received were long-range tactical missiles, laser-guided rockets and anti-tank weapons.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin so far has not denied the report.

“We support both Assad’s army and the armed opposition,” Putin said in an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper. “Some of them have publicly declared this, others prefer to remain silent, but the work is ongoing.

Putin claimed Russia’s actions are directed towards the destruction of the Da’esh (ISIS) terrorist organization.

“This is hundreds, thousands of armed people fighting Islamic State (Da’esh). We are coordinating our joint operations with them and support their offensives by air strikes in various sections of the front line,” Putin said.

The Hezbollah commanders deployed in Syria confirmed in speaking with The Daily Beast that there is a relationship of “complete coordination” between Russia, Hezbollah and its patron, Iran, and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

Direct inter-dependence between Hezbollah and Russia is increasing as well, as time goes on, according to that report.

“I can tell you precisely what we do not want to happen,” Putin told Bild. “We do not want the Libyan or Iraqi scenario to be repeated in Syria.”

But it is also true that Russia does not consider the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group to be a terror organization. Last November, Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying, “We maintain contacts and relations with them because we do not consider them a terrorist organization.

“They have never committed any terrorist acts on Russian soil. Hezbollah was elected by Lebanese citizens to the Lebanese parliament. There are cabinet members and ministers from Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is a legitimate sociopolitical force.”

The IDF has intensified its counter-terrorism training for officers and combat soldiers, according to a report by the Middle East Newsline.

A new course was launched by Central Command to train the troops in new ways of blocking lone wolf and mass casualty attacks.

At the command center, soldiers learn martial arts, combat skills, anti-riot and counter-fire techniques – a response to the recent uptick in Arab attacks in pre- and post-1967 Israel, Judea and Samaria.

The course incorporates experiences from previous attacks carried out by Fatah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, according to one instructor, 1st Lt. “Or.” The instructor explained the facility is equipped with various simulators – including some gauged to measure the reactions of the troops.

“Terrorists hide inside the mob and try to attack soldiers that approach,” he said, pointing out the course is designed to stymie just such a scenario.

The soldiers “enter a screening room where they take part in simulations testing their ability to stop stabbings as well as attempted abductions.”

Two of the most serious threats faced by IDF soldiers, said the military, are terrorists who try to steal weapons and stab civilians or soldiers.