Israeli citizens are accustomed to the sights and sounds of fighter planes soaring across the sky, but nothing could prepare Ashkelon's residents for the drama that took place against the backdrop of their city's otherwise blue skies on Sunday afternoon.
Thousands of picnickers making the most of their Passover vacations at the beach and in a nearby national park were caught surprised to see an Air Force fighter jet diving to a significantly low altitude and proceed to carry out a series of flying maneuvers above their heads.
Reports began flooding after the plane dropped several flares (usually used as decoys against anti-aircraft fire) and continued to fly precariously close to the city's skyline.
And eyewitness told Ynet several successive blasts resounded through the national park, stirring an uneasy panic among visitors. "They were hysterical, people started running and yelling that there were Qassam rockets. But because there was nowhere to take shelter, people just ran away," he said.
Another resident, 23-year-old Elad Hatuel, explained that the flares released by the jet appeared to many
as missiles being launched. "It sounded as though we were living near a landing strip, my car alarm had even gone off. "I went outside, saw him pulling maneuvers and then five minutes later he began a vertical ascent and simply vanished, as though he'd never been there," said Hatuel.
Upon receiving the reports the IDF issued a response clarifying that the pilot had simply been training for an upcoming air show as part of the festivities surrounding Israel's 60th Independence Day.
Hanan Greenberg contributed to this report
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