IDF can now send location-based alerts to phones in case of large-scale attacks
New system can send messages based on positioning of cell towers — not GPS, which has seen disruptions amid ongoing war; IDF says no current changes to instructions for civilians
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
As Israel continues to brace for a retaliatory attack by Hezbollah or Iran, the IDF Home Front Command said Sunday that it has now launched a new system to send location-based public warning messages, following successful trials.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, meanwhile, continued to stress that there were no changes to emergency instructions for civilians amid threats of attack by Iran and Hezbollah.
The new alert system is based on Cell Broadcast, which is a method of sending short messages to multiple phone users in a defined area. Many other countries have similar systems in place.
The Home Front Command said the system will “enable the receipt of a message in large-scale emergency events, such as rocket fire on Israel.”
The alerts will pop up on a user’s phone without needing to install an app or other previous action. It will sound an alarm with an emergency message.
The Home Front Command said the system doesn’t aim to replace its app or the physical sirens, but rather is intended for “surprise large-scale emergencies.” Cell Broadcast is not based on GPS, which has seen disruptions amid the ongoing war, but rather on the positioning of cellular towers.
In the case of rockets, missiles or drone attacks, sirens ring out in the affected areas. However, those with their windows closed who are using loud air conditioning units or fans, as well as those who are hard of hearing, may not always hear the alerts.
The IDF Home Front Command app, which was launched in 2016, tracks users based on their GPS location and alerts them to threats in their immediate area by sounding an alert and showing a message.
The app can distinguish between individual neighborhoods within cities to only alert those in areas the IDF believes should seek shelter from missiles or shrapnel.
Israelis are on edge ahead of what is expected to be an Iranian attack in response to the blast that killed visiting Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week — widely blamed on Israel — as well as a Hezbollah response after Israel killed Fuad Shukr, a senior commander in the terror group, in an airstrike in Lebanon.
Iranian leaders and Hezbollah officials have threatened over the past few days to retaliate strongly for the assassinations, and Israeli leaders have vowed to respond to any such attack with full force. Many international airlines have canceled flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut, and a number of countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately.
In an address Sunday evening, Hagari, the IDF spokesman, reiterated that there are no changes to emergency instructions for civilians, but called on the public to remain vigilant.
“We are working to provide an adequate warning to prepare for any threat. But until we say otherwise, there are no changes to the Home Front Command guidelines,” Hagari said. “We will update only when required.”
The spokesman said that the military remains “at a high level of readiness, in defense in the air, at sea, and on the ground. We are readying for any sudden threat.” He also stressed that Israel’s air defenses are powerful but “not hermetic,” and therefore the public should be vigilant and follow all instructions.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
