Israel launched a major assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip today—and the Israeli military tweeted much of the action, including the assassination of a Hamas military leader.

It seems like an unusual tactic for a nation to flood Twitter with details of a military campaign while it’s happening. But perhaps it will become more common, as militaries seek the public’s support of their actions by using social media to communicate directly with the citizens of the Internet.

The tweets from @IDFSpokesperson, the official feed of the Israel Defense Forces, announced 12 hours ago "The IDF has begun a widespread campaign on terror sites & operatives in the #Gaza Strip, chief among them #Hamas & Islamic Jihad targets." Dozens more tweets followed, including one announcing the assassination of Ahmed Jabari, the head of Hamas’s military wing:

This was followed up with video proof of the killing. "In case you missed it - VIDEO - IDF Pinpoint Strike on Ahmed Jabari, Head of #Hamas Military Wing," the IDF tweeted along with this 10-second clip of a car being blown up:

UPDATE: The video was removed for violating YouTube's Terms of Service, but is working again as of the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 15.

The IDF, which also announced the assassination in a press release, said it targeted about 100 terror sites during the operation. The descriptions of its assault were accompanied by the reasons Israel believes military action is necessary. "Hamas is terrorizing Israeli civilians - over 760 rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel in 2012 alone," one tweet said. Another IDF tweet quoted a Hamas cleric as saying "Annihilation of the Jews here in Palestine is one of the most splendid blessings for Palestine."

The IDF continued its public relations campaign with similar posts on its Facebook page. Hamas's military wing (known as the Al Qassam Brigades) is also providing narration and commentary on today's events on its own Twitter feed, saying it "mourns the death of its top leader Ahmed Jabari who has been assassinated by #Israeli drones in #Gaza."

"#Israel's military still targeting civilians in # Gaza kills a child and fourty others # hamas # GazaUnderAttack # Egypt," another Hamas tweet stated. Hamas detailed its own retaliations, including rocket strikes on an Israeli military base. In a tweet directed at the official IDF Twitter feed, Hamas warned "Our blessed hands will reach your leaders and soldiers wherever they are (You Opened Hell Gates on Yourselves)."

AllthingsD looked into whether any of these tweets violate Twitter or Facebook terms of service, including rules against threats of violence. Facebook told AllthingsD that it "will not be taking action on the current content posted," and Twitter hadn't weighed in yet.

Israel began its occupation of the Gaza Strip, home to 1.7 million Palestinians, in 1967. Israel pulled out of the territory in 2005, but it launched a war in the strip in December 2008 and continued a blockade of the region. Today's assault was one of the biggest launched against Gaza in the past four years.