Two arrested over alleged theft of shoulder-fired MATADOR missile from IDF

Israeli police arrested two people in Shfaram after recovering a shoulder-fired MATADOR missile allegedly stolen from the Israel Defense Forces during operations in northern Israel over the weekend. Police said one of the suspects is an illegal resident.

Both suspects were taken to the Galilee Region police station for questioning. Police expected to bring them before a court to seek an extension of their detention.

The weapon was seized during a targeted operation involving the Northern District police, the IDF’s anti-terrorist unit and the military’s northern command. Police said they had seized more than 610 illegal weapons since the start of 2026 while pursuing violent crime.

The case follows a separate investigation into an M16 rifle allegedly stolen from an IDF base in northern Israel. In early August, authorities indicted a reservist and a civilian over the rifle’s theft and alleged trafficking. Investigators also uncovered a suspected drug network that allegedly supplied cocaine and other drugs to soldiers at military bases in the north. An IDF major implicated in that investigation was expected to face a separate indictment.