1,700 48kg gas canisters and 100 tons of gas discovered in an Ashkelon warehouse were going to Gaza, at least in part.

According to senior National Infrastructure official Shimon Ben-Shlomo, who was with inspectors when they were raided the warehouse and discovered the tanks in the southern Ashkelon industrial area, it could have been a disaster, explaining they flammable substances were being held in Kassam rocket range, and adjacent to a factory with substances that could have ignited. Ben-Shlomo called the situation a “ticking time bomb”.

It has since been learned that the owner of the storage facility, and apparently the business, is a retired ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) agent. Associates of the man insist he is operating a legitimate business, but Ben-Shlomo seems to view the events in a different light.

Inspectors on Thursday also found another 200 canisters in the north. It is unclear is they are linked to this southern operation.

Ministry orders also forbid transporting the gas canisters out of Israel fearing they may serve as a host towards constructing an explosive device.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)