The Palestinian Islamic Jihad held live-fire military drills in Gaza on Tuesday, sending messages of power to the enemy and the friend.
The maneuver, dubbed as “Martyrs… Omens of Victory,” included missile launches toward the sea and simulation of offensive raids on Israeli posts with intense firepower, Palestinian media reported.
The drill involved elite forces and a number of field military specializations, including missiles, artillery, anti-armor, and intelligence forces.
“We’re conducting an advanced military maneuver in the area using live fire, artillery, and military intelligence in order to simulate raids on Zionist military sites,” the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, said in a statement following the drills.
Israeli media reported that loud explosions were heard in the northern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli occupation military’s Spokesperson’s Unit also reported that Israelis were informed of the launch after rockets were fired at the sea in Gaza, but added that they didn’t cross into occupied territory.
Commenting on the drill the Arab affairs correspondent for the Israeli Channel 13 Hezi Simantov said that alarms were activated in the occupied territories, noting that it caused fear and panic among Israelis in the Gaza envelope settlements.
Source: Palestinian and Israeli media (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
