Thieves have stolen tens of thousands of bullets from an army base in the south of Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday. The robbery took place last week at the National Army Training Centre near the large Tze’elim kibbutz. The base has been the scene of dozens of thefts over the past decade, with weapons as well as ammunition stolen.
Local sources were reported as saying that this is one of the biggest ammunition thefts in the recent history of the Israeli army. It is suggested that the thieves could have had inside help from people on the base, who were aware of several flaws in the security system.
The same sources explained that the thieves entered the base in a vehicle and loaded hundreds of ammunition boxes within a few minutes. The bullets are likely to be sold to criminals for millions of shekels.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, nobody has been arrested for the theft. An investigation has been opened and the findings will be presented to the military prosecutor.