A talmid of the Maorot HaTorah yeshiva in Kiryat Yearim and his brother, a graduate of the yeshiva, were arrested overnight Tuesday at their home in Tel Aviv by military police officers for “draft dodging.”

The arrest took place as part of a night raid on dozens of homes across the country. The IDF said that the operation did not specifically target bnei yeshivos but was directed at deserters from all sectors.

The arrest of the bochurim took place while their parents were on vacation, unaware of what was happening at their home and the arrest of their sons. The yeshiva administration was also not updated on the arrest.

Many hours after their arrest, the bochurim were permitted to make a phone call. They called the yeshiva staff, who responded quickly and transferred the case to Adv. Menachem Stauber, who will represent them.

The older brother was previously arrested on Purim and sentenced to 14 days in military prison.

Overnight Monday, in the first action of its kind, military police attempted to arrest a newly married avreich in Haifa for draft-dodging.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)