Explosive materials confiscated by Shin Bet officials. Photo: Shin Bet.

Israel has foiled a massive plot to carry out a “mega-attack” or wave of several deadly terrorist attacks against Israeli targets, it was announced on Wednesday, according to Israel Hayom. The Israel Police’s Northern District’s Border Unit and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) scored a significant intelligence success by uncovering an Israeli-Arab cell smuggling weapons and explosives from Lebanon into Israel.

Eleven suspects were indicted Wednesday in a Nazareth court on charges of aiding the enemy in a time of war, meeting with foreign agents, possession of weapons, conspiracy to commit a crime, attempted drug smuggling and attempted drug trafficking.

Following the lifting of a gag order on the case Wednesday, it was revealed that the cell, made up of three distinct groups and comprising 14 individuals smuggled in 24 ready-to-use C4 high-quality bombs with attached timers into the northern border town of Ghajar, which straddles the Israel-Lebanon border. In addition to the explosive devices, the suspected cell members were caught, following an extensive intelligence gathering operation, with an FN MAG general-purpose machine gun and an M16 rifle stolen from the Israel Defense Forces.

Of the 14 suspects, six are from Ghajar (one of the suspects is reportedly just 17 years old and another is related to the village’s elder), six are from Nazareth and one from Ramle in the center of the country.