Rocket warning sirens sound across Jerusalem in Home Front Command drill

A test of rocket warning sirens took place in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, the IDF announced.

The sirens sounded in various parts of the city between 10:05 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

Jerusalem was recently split into five separate so-called alert zones, and each was tested at a different time interval. Residents of some neighborhoods were able to hear the sirens in other neighborhoods.

Residents of the area were asked to enter bomb shelters when they heard the sirens and to ensure that their shelters are well stocked for an emergency.

In the case of an actual attack, the sirens were to sound twice, the military said.

Jerusalem is a rare but occasional target for rocket fire from Gaza. The most recent rocket alert siren in the capital sounded in May 2021, marking the beginning of what became the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

After the initial rocket barrage toward Jerusalem last year, Hamas did not fire any further missiles at the capital, home to the highly contentious Temple Mount as well as a sizable Palestinian population.

Prior to that, air raid sirens had not sounded in Jerusalem since the 2014 conflict with Gaza. Residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas have approximately 90 seconds from the sound of the siren to take cover from an incoming rocket.