EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- Jihadist groups operating in Egypt's Sinai peninsula on Sunday fired a long range missile during a military drill, Egyptian security sources said.

The missile, believed to have a range of 45 kilometers, was fired from Nekhel in central Sinai towards the direction of Suez, Egyptian military sources told Ma'an.

The missile landed in a desert area and left a crater three meters deep and two meters wide.

Egyptian military experts said it is likely that the missile was an unexploded Israeli ordnance left behind from wars in the Sinai peninsula.

On Saturday, Egypt's Interior Ministry told police in the Sinai peninsula to raise a state of emergency after obtaining intelligence that jihadists might attack their forces there.

Officials have expressed growing worries about security in the desert region which borders Israel and is home to a number of tourist resorts.