ISRAELI CIVILIAN VOLUNTEER DEFENSE SQUADS ISSUED RIFLES

Israel distributes thousands of rifles to civilian security squads

The initiative is part of the state’s broader defense strategy based on lessons learned from the two-year war. 

 

JNS

Jan 8, 2026 

 

 

 An Arad rifle manufactured by Israel Weapon Industries. 

 

The Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces have completed the distribution of thousands of advanced Arad rifles to rapid response teams across the country as part of the community defense strategy, the ministry said on Thursday.

The distribution forms part of the ministry and IDF Ground Forces Command’s broader initiative to bolster security capabilities in communities nationwide in the wake of the war.

The weapons were procured from Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), an Israeli firearms manufacturer, in a deal worth about $31 million, the ministry said.

The deal includes maintenance support for the next decade, as well as the upkeep of Meprolight M5 optical sights that can be mounted on the rifles.

The Arad is an assault rifle designed in 2019 by the IWI. It is primarily manufactured for export, with the Israeli-made Tavor and U.S.-made M16 rifles serving most IDF combat units.

The initiative to arm rapid response teams is part of the government’s broader defense strategy adopted in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of the northwestern Negev.

These volunteer-based civilian defense squads were some of the first in line to fight the thousands of Palestinian terrorists who infiltrated Jewish communities along the Gaza border.