Israel declares ‘war on smuggling’ along Egyptian border, DM Katz designates area as military zone

Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the military to take decisive measures to end the increasing phenomenon of weapons smuggling along the Egyptian border, his office said on Thursday.

Over the past months, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had announced dozens of cases where its troops had thwarted attempts to transport weapons and ammunition from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into the southern Negev, often using drones.

“Today we are declaring war on those involved in the smuggling - and anyone who enters the prohibited area will be struck,” Katz declared.

הנחיתי את צה"ל להפוך את השטח הצמוד לגבול ישראל-מצרים לשטח צבאי סגור ולשנות בהתאם את הוראות הפתיחה באש כדי להילחם באיום הרחפנים שמסכן את ביטחון המדינה.

במקביל סיכמתי עם ראש השב"כ דוד זיני כי השב"כ יפעל להגדרת איום הברחות האמל"ח עם רחפנים כאיום טרור.

הברחות הנשק באמצעות רחפנים הם… pic.twitter.com/hprKhpupkt

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) November 6, 2025

“I have instructed the IDF to designate the area adjacent to the Israel-Egypt border as a closed military zone and to adjust the rules of engagement accordingly to combat the drone threat that endangers the state's security.”

In the past year, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egyptian border using drones. The border area is part of the Negev desert and stretches along hundreds of kilometers of rugged, inaccessible, and largely uninhabited territory.

Katz added that he and Shin Bet director, David Zini, agreed that the domestic intelligence agency would classify arms smuggling via drones as a terrorism threat, enabling harsher enforcement methods.

“Arms smuggling by means of drones is part of the war in Gaza and is intended to arm our enemies, and all measures must be taken to stop it. Today we are declaring war on those involved in the smuggling – and anyone who enters the prohibited area will be struck,” Katz said.

Katz’s declaration apparently caps weeks of preparation and coordination between various security agencies to tackle the ongoing problem.

According to Army Radio, the Defense Ministry’s Agency for Research and Development for Weapons Systems and Technological Infrastructure was instructed to advance the development of technological solutions in cooperation with the Air Force. In addition, the National Security Council will assist with such new licensing obligations and legislative amendments limiting the use, purchase and possession of drones.

On Wednesday, the IDF had stated that Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed the military to focus efforts and resources on countering the drone threat.

Zamir met with senior IDF officers, along with Shin Bet and police representatives, as part of a "multi-organizational thought process aimed at formulating a comprehensive outlook for dealing with the growing threat,” the IDF said.

In the meeting, Zamir noted that “the drone threat is not merely a criminal threat but a security threat with terror potential, and emphasized the IDF's and the defense establishment's commitment to deepen the operational response while developing new operational capabilities.”

The IDF’s last announcement of a thwarted smuggling attempt came last Sunday. “After detecting it, forces from the Paran Brigade intercepted and located the drone, which was carrying eight handguns. The seized weapons were transferred to the security forces for further handling,” the IDF said.