Boy Seriously Wounded in Wedding Shooting Near Arad; Seven Arrested
A 14-year-old boy was seriously injured by gunfire at a wedding near Arad, prompting police to arrest seven suspects, including the groom and an IDF soldier.
A 14-year-old boy was seriously injured on Wednesday night after being shot during a wedding near Arad. Following the shooting, which is suspected to have stemmed from a dispute between two families, the police arrested the groom, his father, his uncle—a regular-serving IDF soldier—as well as the event photographer and a drone operator.
Earlier reports indicated that the teenager was wounded by gunfire near the Tel Arad junction, and a 19-year-old young man was moderately injured. Both victims were brought to a clinic in Arad and subsequently evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. The Israel Police stated that officers from the Arara station and the Border Police's southern National Guard dispersed a wedding in the Bedouin diaspora following suspected gunfire and seized an IDF-issue M-16 assault rifle.
According to police, a report was received regarding celebratory gunfire during the wedding, alongside reports of the two wounded individuals. Arara station officers and National Guard forces, acting on intelligence guidance and with aerial support, arrested seven suspects in total. Superintendent Baruch Honig, commander of the Arara station, emphasized that celebratory gunfire at family events is a severe, life-threatening act that will not be tolerated, pledging continued resolute action against illegal weaponry to protect public safety.
