The Eilat municipality said the gunshots heard off the Gulf of Eilat on Saturday afternoon were from a routine Israel Navy live-fire exercise conducted ahead of a sector handover between vessels. The municipality confirmed after consulting the Navy's Red Sea Command that no security incident was involved; the sounds were amplified by wind conditions. The drill was coordinated with all security forces operating in the area.
On Saturday at around 12:18 Jerusalem, the Eilat municipality issued a statement clarifying that gunshots heard in the Gulf of Eilat over the past hour were from a routine Israel Navy exercise. The drill — live fire conducted before every operational sector handover between vessels — was coordinated with all security forces in the area. The municipality stated that after checking with the Navy's Red Sea Command, no security incident was identified, and the amplified sounds were attributed to wind conditions.
As The Zioneer reported at 12:15 Jerusalem, the sounds initially sparked concern among residents; footage cited under Section 27A was circulated. These concerns follow a series of earlier security events in the Eilat area in recent days, including a hostile aircraft penetration on June 9 and a separate interception-timing dispute also on June 9. False-alarm sirens caused by Israeli activity in the area were reported on June 12. The municipality's statement serves as an official all-clear, confirming the event was an exercise and not a threat.
The source of this clarification is the Eilat municipality's official spokesperson, communicated via the source. No further details on the drill's duration or specific units involved have been released.
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