Very quickly, Ehrlich’s team was at another door. This one was unlocked, and it opened into an office. Nicole knew this was the office two flights up that gave a view of the warehouse floor. Ehrlich moved to the window and looked out. The floor was covered with boxes stacked five to seven meters high. Many of them certainly looked like what she thought boxes of guns would look like, although most of her experience with boxes of guns was from the movies.
She went back to her text thread with Nir.
There are a lot of boxes down there. Various
sizes. A lot look like rifle boxes.
is there anything that talks
about humanitarian aid
It all appears to be Cyrillic.
Ehrlich was in the lead now, moving to the office door. Cracking it open, he stopped to listen. After a few moments, he moved forward and began descending the stairs.
whats happening
E is moving down the stairs with
team behind. No resistance so far.
why not
???
i expected there would be at least some guards
inside. youve got hundreds of thousands of
dollars of weapons inside and only place
guards outside? its as dumb as those Iranians
and their vaults that we cleared out.
What are you saying?
it just feels too easy. i dont know. wish
i could see what was happening
Ehrlich was on the floor now. Three of his team took watch-over positions, while he and the maybe-Andy guy went to a box. They each pulled out crowbars they had sheathed to their legs and pried the lid on the box. Inside were what she had learned from Nir on a weapons crash course were AK-74Ms, the standard-issue rifle for the Russian army. Ehrlich lifted it out and held it at a distance so that his bodycam could get the full picture.
E just opened a box of AK-74s.
They’re moving to the next box.
where is this box located
It’s in the front corner. ???
he needs to dig back. pull some out and
get to some of the boxes farther back in
the stack. the front is too easy. i wasnt
even going to mess with them.
What are you saying?
i dont know. if ivan is pulling a ruse
on us hes going to put guns easy access
and hidden stuff farther back
What hidden stuff?
humanitarian aid. its probably nothing. i
just want a look in boxes farther back
Ehrlich checked another two boxes. One had more AKs and the second was filled with ammunition. Suddenly, Ehrlich stopped. He began directing his men toward the three entrance doors.
“Someone tell me what’s happening,” Nicole called out. Dafna and Liora were watching, but they were also getting updates from a friend on Ehrlich’s analyst team.
“Vehicles are coming up Mar Mikhael with their lights on,” answered Liora. “The team is looking to bug out.”
Police approaching.
E’s team looking to get away.
hes got to get deeper. not enough evidence
It’s all they’re going to get.
“They’re looking to exit the front door. If they can make it past the grain silos, there’ll be watercraft waiting for them,” said Liora.
Nicole pulled up Google Earth and checked the map. That was quite the run. It all depended on how far back the police were.
Ehrlich pulled open the front door. Immediately, Nicole’s screen switched back to drone view. Two of Ehrlich’s men stepped through and took out the guards. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like a less-lethal technique.
Putin’s going to want answers for that one.
As they sprinted past a roundabout, the guards on the sides of the building came around the corners. They began firing. One of Ehrlich’s men went down. Another man wrapped his arm under him and hauled him up. Together they limped ahead. Two more of the team turned and knelt. They began to fire with much better accuracy, and three of the guards went down.
whats happening
Nicole ignored the text. She needed to watch the action so she could report to Nir accurately. The police vehicles were just arriving on scene, and they cut to the right, plowing through the debris separating them from their quarry.
The five men were now by the grain silos. Three of them turned and fired at the police, causing the cruisers to slam on their brakes. The officers opened their doors, ducked behind them, and returned fire. Thankfully for Ehrlich’s men, the cops were using pistols only, while the team was reaching rifle distance.
Just past the silos was a small inlet on the right. A rigid-hull inflatable boat was waiting there with a pilot and two gunners. The men on board began shooting, purposely aiming over the officers’ heads. The last thing the IDF wanted was a Lebanese police massacre on their hands.
Ehrlich’s men reached the boat and dove in. Ehrlich was the last on the rocks, pushing the boat away before joining his team. The watercraft floated backward until the pilot had enough room. Then he gunned it, spun the boat around, and headed out to sea.
E and his team are safe on the water.
Close call.
whats the pm going to do. did
they get enough evidence
Nicole put down her phone. She didn’t know how to answer that question.