Gunshots heard off the coast of Eilat on Tuesday morning sparked panic among beachgoers. The IDF said the firing was a routine Navy exercise conducted by a vessel as part of a sector handover, taking place relatively far offshore, and that the sound was amplified by wind conditions. The military stressed there is no security concern.
The Eilat municipality and the IDF confirmed that Tuesday's shore panic — gunshots heard from the sea near Eilat's beachfront — stemmed from a routine Navy vessel handover drill, not a hostile incident. The IDF added that wind conditions amplified the sound of the firing, which took place well offshore.
This is the second such false alarm in four days. On Saturday, June 7, a similar drill triggered alarm at the same hour (11:38 Jerusalem), as The Zioneer reported. The municipality then clarified, after consulting the Navy's Red Sea Command, that live-fire training was scheduled and coordinated with all security forces. In both instances, the IDF reiterated that no security incident was involved and that wind had carried the sound sharply inland.
Residents and visitors remain on edge after several recent security incidents in the Eilat area, including a hostile aircraft infiltration on June 8–9 (The Zioneer, 00:04 Jerusalem, June 9) and false-alarm sirens on June 12 (The Zioneer, 11:38 Jerusalem). The military's position on these two drill events, however, is consistent and corroborated by the municipality.
No shelter order was issued on Tuesday, and no security threat was assessed. The municipality has confirmed it will re-examine how the drill is communicated to the public to prevent future panic.
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