1,200 policemen and soldiers took part in a wide-ranging police operation to combat Arab crime in the Negev.
During the operation, soldiers landed in helicopters and 12 Arabs were arrested on suspicion of weapons and drug offenses. Two Carlo rifles, weapon parts, cartridges and ammunition were seized.
A police source told Haaretz that one of the goals of the operation was to restore deterrence in the Negev and strengthen the residents' sense of security. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai ordered the use of helicopters during the operation.
Residents of the Bedouin settlement of Abu Talul in the Negev documented a police helicopter approaching the ground from which four soldiers from the National Counter Terrorism Unit emerged.
Cannabis greenhouses with thousands of seedlings were destroyed in the Tze'elim area. 70 traffic reports were distributed, 20 cars were taken off the road and three trucks were stopped for dumping waste illegally.