Israelis took part in a nationwide emergency preparedness drill on Tuesday, with alarms sounding in the morning and evening.
As part of the Home Front Command drill, Israeli schoolchildren and teachers, government offices, military bases, public buildings and workplaces practiced taking cover in the event of incoming rockets.
One siren sounded at 11:05 a.m. with another scheduled for 7:05 p.m. In addition, alerts were set to broadcast on television, radio, websites, the Home Front Command’s smartphone application and special warning beepers for the hearing-impaired.
The exercise is part of a massive Israel Defense Forces’ and Home Front Command drill.
If actual rockets are launched during the practice, the alarms will sound twice. The public was encouraged to enter designated bomb shelters upon hearing the sirens.
“The goal of setting off the alarms is to practice the general public having to enter bomb shelters in their workplaces and homes, as well as to check that the national siren system is in working order,” the IDF said in a public statement.
Army search-and-rescue units, as well as local civilian government and emergency services, also take part in the drill.