10 March 2005	Thursday	28 Muharram 1426

WASHINGTON, March 9: The presence of US spy planes prompted Israel to delay a test of its Long Range Artillery missile earlier this month, Defence News reported on Tuesday. The missile was test-fired two days later instead, scoring a direct hit.

The Long Range Artillery missile is a deep strike, satellite guided weapon similar to the US-made Army Tactical Missile System or the US Navy's Standard Missile, according to the weekly, which cited Israeli military and defence industry sources.

The Israeli Defence Ministry planned closed territorial waters in the Mediterannean and airspace over it for three hours March 1 in preparation for the test. -AFP