Israel Police officers and Border Police troops arrested seven suspects early Monday morning in a corruption case in southern Israel and detained six others for questioning.

Among the suspects arrested are the sitting head of a regional council in southern Israel, his relatives, and other senior officials in the local authority.

As part of the operation, forces raided the local authority's offices and conducted extensive searches. The investigation, which has been conducted in recent months by a Lahav 433 tender task force in cooperation with the Southern District, centers on suspicions of bribery, bid-rigging, fraud, and breach of trust.

Authorities are also investigating suspicions that fictitious employees were placed on the council payroll in order to fraudulently extract money from the local authority's coffers and transfer it into the suspects' private pockets.

The widescale investigation is being conducted by the Israel Tax Authority and the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority, with the State Attorney's Office Economic Department overseeing the case.

The suspects are expected to be brought before the Rishon Lezion Magistrates Court later Monday for a hearing on the police request to extend their detention.

"This is another significant governance operation in the series of actions carried out by the Israel Police against crime and criminals in the Bedouin sector in the Negev, who are attempting to turn official government institutions into criminal strongholds and platforms for criminal activity," Israel Police stated.