Some of the weapons seized in Tuesday night’s raid. Photo: Israel Police.

JNS.org – A trove of illegal weapons and munitions was discovered Tuesday night during an Israel security forces raid on several weapons mills in the Bethlehem area.

A joint operation by the Judea and Samaria District Police and the military’s Etzion Brigade, Tuesday’s raid was the second operation this week targeting illegal Palestinian weapons manufacturers and dealers across Judea and Samaria.

The search yielded a hunting rifle, guns, dozens of rifle barrels, a large variety of gun magazines, hundreds of bullets, and a large number of firearm components such as triggers and safeties, as well as military clothing.

A military official described the raids as part of “the biggest operation carried out this year against illegal arms” in Judea and Samaria.

He said two suspects, one of them a “high-profile arms dealer,” were arrested during Tuesday’s raid. Both have been turned over to the Shin Bet security agency for interrogation.

A military source told Israel Hayom that the troops were surprised by the sheer quantity of illegal arms seized. “We thought [the Palestinians] would be a little more sophisticated. We didn’t expect to just find [the weapons] lying around.”