Without drones and without noise: the new smuggling method on the Jordan border

A drug smuggling attempt in the southern Arava revealed a new smuggling method: weather balloons that are difficult to detect in the air. Security sources tell Maariv about smuggling almost every night, and sometimes weapons and ammunition also reach Israel this way.

A drug smuggling attempt in the southern Arava revealed a new smuggling method using weather balloons. The balloons have significant advantages: they do not create a buzzing sound like drones and have no digital or electronic signature that allows their detection in the air. Civilian security sources along the Arava border tell Maariv that such smuggling occurs almost every night, mainly from Israel to Jordan due to wind directions. However, sometimes balloons carrying weapons and ammunition reach Israel. The drugs seized by an IDF patrol were handed over to the police.