Hamas militants finish new combat training

GAZA, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The militant Palestinian group Hamas said it had completed stepped-up combat training to face off with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

"The Israeli army won't know where the blows are coming from and how its tanks will be hit by missiles in our possession," Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, Iz a-Din al-Qassam, told the Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat.

The new combat methods include the element of surprise that utilize a network of tunnels and trenches, along with missiles, the Israeli online newspaper Haaretz said. Obeida said training occurred within Palestinian territories and involved no arms from foreign sources, Haaretz said.