Civil defense in Israel
Encyclopedia
Civil defense
in Israel
deals with a variety of military and terrorist threats to the civilian population, which have included concealed bombs such as suicide bombings and car bomb
s, projectiles such as missile
s, rocket
s and mortars
, and hijacking of aircraft
, buses and buildings. Threats have originated in all countries and territories bordering Israel (the West Bank
, the Gaza Strip
, Lebanon
, Syria
, Jordan
and Egypt
), as well as Iraq
, and an Israeli civil airliner was attacked with missiles in Kenya
. Perceived threats that have not materialized to date include sustained interruption of the economy, nuclear attack
from Iran
, and chemical or biological attack from Iraq
or elsewhere.
. Until the establishment of the Command, responsibility for the home front fell under the Civilian Defense’s Chief Officer Corps Command and under Regional Defense. During that time, the three regional commands had their own home front commands. After the first Persian Gulf War, these organizations were unified and the Home Front Command was created. Ever since its creation, there have been great efforts undertaken to turn the Home Front Command into a civilian body, but thus far, all of these have failed. It is currently headed by Aluf Yair Golan.
Between 6–10 April 2008, the National Emergency Authority conducted the largest emergency exercise in the country's history.
On 27 December 2008, at the start of the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai
signed an EE order applying to the local authorities in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip
, Sderot
, Netivot
and Ashkelon
.
declared an SSHF in areas of southern Israel struck by rocket attacks from Gaza. The situation was lifted in August, but shortly afterward, On 4 September, Defense minister Ehud Barak
declared an SSHF in Gaza vicinity communities for 48 hours following the resurgence of heavy rocket fire from Gaza.
ZAKA activity expanded rapidly during the al-Aqsa Intifada (from September 2000), when frequent terrorist suicide bombings created many scenes of disaster, with the remains and body parts of many victims strewn around bombing sites.
According to the 1951 civil defense law, all homes, residential buildings and industrial buildings in Israel are required to have bomb shelter
s. However, several homes or residential buildings may make use of a single shelter jointly.
Prior to the Lebanon War
, PLO attacks from Lebanon
forced thousands of Israelis to spend large amounts of time in bomb shelters.
In October 2010, the Home Front Command intitiated a publicity campaign to explain to the public what the specified time people have to enter public bomb shelters after hearing the warning siren.
, which have been targeted by constant rocket attacks since 2001, have additional fortifications. In March 2008 the government placed 120 fortified bus stops in Sderot, following a Defense Ministry assessment that most rocket-related injuries and fatalities were caused by shrapnel wounds in victims on the street. As of January 2009, all schools in Sderot
have been fortified against rockets; fortifications consist of arched canopies over roofs. However, on 3 January 2009 a Grad rocket penetrated the fortification of a school in Ashkelon.
In March 2009, Sderot inaugurated a reinforced children's recreation center built by the Jewish National Fund
. The purpose of the center, which has "$1.5 million worth of reinforced steel", is to provide a rocket-proof place for children to play. Sderot also has a "missile-protected playground," with concrete tunnels painted to look like caterpillars.
Air raid sirens used are typically sounded to warn of air raids or missile attacks on civilian population. Most of the sirens in urban areas are German-made HLS (supercharged) sirens, model F71. The Air Raid Sirens are called אזעקה ("Az'aka", literally "alarm"), and consist of a continuous, ascending and descending tone. The "all-clear" signal (called צפירת ארגעה, "Tzfirat Arga'ah") is a continuous single-pitch sound. However, in recent conflicts use of the "all-clear" signal has been discontinued, as it was seen as causing needless confusion and alarm.
Sirens also double for ceremonial use. The "all-clear" signal is used three times yearly to denote a minute's silence, once on Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day
and twice on Day of Remembrance
.
, is widely regarded as the safest airline in the world, and no flight leaving Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport
has ever been hijacked. One exceptional method used in Israeli airport security is that security agents personally converse with each passenger, looking for clues that the person is a terrorist or is being unwittingly used by terrorists. Other measures include reinforced cockpit doors and an air marshal on every flight.
would attack the country with missiles carrying chemical weapons and prepared accordingly. Four million gas masks were distributed to citizens across the country, as well as to residents of the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip
, and chemical-proof sealed rooms were prepared in homes. No chemical weapons were actually launched by Iraq, but Iraq did fire 39 conventional Scud
missiles on Israel during the course of the war, hitting neighborhoods around Tel Aviv and elsewhere and causing extensive property damage. As soon as the first missile fell, Israel declared a chemical-weapons civil defense alert. Upon missile attacks, air-raid sirens sounded nationwide and civil defense authorities instructed the public, via radio, to don gas masks and close themselves in sealed rooms.
In early 1998, during an escalation in the Iraq disarmament crisis
, a media-stirred panic of Iraqi chemical attack ensued in Israel, with thousands lining up at gas mask distribution centers. Officials downplayed the dangers but began preparations nonetheless.
Prior to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, Israel instructed its citizens to ready their sealed rooms again and to carry gas masks at all times, though it assessed the likelihood of chemical attack as low.
On July 29, 2004, Israel and the United States carried out a joint test flight in the USA in which the Arrow was launched against a real Scud
missile. The test was a success, with the Arrow destroying the Scud with a direct hit. In December 2005 the system was successfully tested again in a firing against a replicated Scud
C as Shahab-3 missile. This test success was repeated on February 11, 2007.
Rafael states that the system is an effective solution to short range rockets (such as Qassam rockets) and 155mm shells, capable of operating both during the day and at night, under various weather conditions, and able to confront multiple simultaneous threats.
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
deals with a variety of military and terrorist threats to the civilian population, which have included concealed bombs such as suicide bombings and car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
s, projectiles such as missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s, rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
s and mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
, and hijacking of aircraft
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
, buses and buildings. Threats have originated in all countries and territories bordering Israel (the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
), as well as Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and an Israeli civil airliner was attacked with missiles in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. Perceived threats that have not materialized to date include sustained interruption of the economy, nuclear attack
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, and chemical or biological attack from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
or elsewhere.
1951 civil defense law
The 1951 civil defense law, revised several times since then, legislates matters pertaining to civil defense. The law requires shelters to be built in all homes, residential and industrial buildings. The law also establishes the civil defense service, mandates the construction and upkeep of shelters in homes, residential buildings and factories, allows the state to make use of private equipment and humanpower for emergency situations, defines a civil state of alert and lays down rules regarding the use of hazardous materials.Home Front Command
The Israeli Home Front Command was created in February 1992 following the Gulf WarGulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. Until the establishment of the Command, responsibility for the home front fell under the Civilian Defense’s Chief Officer Corps Command and under Regional Defense. During that time, the three regional commands had their own home front commands. After the first Persian Gulf War, these organizations were unified and the Home Front Command was created. Ever since its creation, there have been great efforts undertaken to turn the Home Front Command into a civilian body, but thus far, all of these have failed. It is currently headed by Aluf Yair Golan.
National Emergency Authority
The National Emergency Authority (Reshut Heyrum Le'umit or "Rachel" for short) was created in September 2007 and charged with coordinating military and civilian action during a state of emergency, war or natural disaster.Between 6–10 April 2008, the National Emergency Authority conducted the largest emergency exercise in the country's history.
Emergency Economy
The Emergency Economy (meshek l'sheat heyrum or "Melah" for short) is a body whose function is to assure continued activity of vital enterprises during an emergency. An Emergency Economy order allows the recruitment of workers for essential private and public services, such as emergency services, medicine, local authorities, food and equipment supply, communications, etc.On 27 December 2008, at the start of the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai
Eli Yishai
Eliyahu "Eli" Yishai is an Israeli politician and head of the Shas party. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas, and as both one of four Deputy Prime Ministers and Minister of Internal Affairs.- Political life :...
signed an EE order applying to the local authorities in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, Sderot
Sderot
Sderot is a western Negev city in the Southern District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 20,700. The city has been an ongoing target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip...
, Netivot
Netivot
Netivot is a city in the Southern District of Israel in Israel. At the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 26,700. It was founded in 1956 as a development town along with Sderot to the north, and Ofakim to the south...
and Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
.
Special situation on the home front
The special situation on the home front (SSHF) is a legal mechanism allowing the Defense Ministry, through the Home Front Command, to issue binding regulations for the civilian population in the specified area. The decision is valid for 48 hours, and must then be ratified by the government. On 20 May 2007 Defense Minister Amir PeretzAmir Peretz
Amir Peretz is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Labour Party. He is a former Defense Minister of Israel and former leader of the Labour Party, having left those positions in June 2007....
declared an SSHF in areas of southern Israel struck by rocket attacks from Gaza. The situation was lifted in August, but shortly afterward, On 4 September, Defense minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
declared an SSHF in Gaza vicinity communities for 48 hours following the resurgence of heavy rocket fire from Gaza.
ZAKA
ZAKA (Hebrew: זק"א, an acronym for Zihuy Korbanot Ason, literally: "Disaster Victim Identification"), is a series of voluntary community emergency response teams in Israel, each operating in a police district (two in the Central District due to geographic considerations). These organizations are officially recognized by the government. The full name is ZAKA - Identification and Rescue - True Kindness (Hebrew: זק"א - איתור חילוץ והצלה - חסד של אמת).ZAKA activity expanded rapidly during the al-Aqsa Intifada (from September 2000), when frequent terrorist suicide bombings created many scenes of disaster, with the remains and body parts of many victims strewn around bombing sites.
Bomb shelters
Bomb shelter
A bomb shelter is any kind of a civil defense structure designed to provide protection against the effects of a bomb.-Types of shelter:Different kinds of bomb shelters are configured to protect against different kinds of attack and strengths of hostile explosives. For example, an Air-raid shelter...
s. However, several homes or residential buildings may make use of a single shelter jointly.
Prior to the Lebanon War
Lebanon War
The term Lebanon War can refer to any of the following wars, fought in Lebanon:*Lebanese Civil War *Hundred Days' War 1978 *1982 Lebanon War...
, PLO attacks from Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
forced thousands of Israelis to spend large amounts of time in bomb shelters.
In October 2010, the Home Front Command intitiated a publicity campaign to explain to the public what the specified time people have to enter public bomb shelters after hearing the warning siren.
Protected spaces
The "protected space" is a similar concept to the shelter but serves individual apartment units, building floors, or other public areas. It consists of a reinforced concrete room with access from the building's individual apartment. The idea of the protected space followed the First Gulf War, when the warning time for incoming missiles was shortened and there was a need for fast access to shelter. The move from subterranean bomb shelters to more elevated protected spaces was motivated by the possibility of the use of chemical weapons by neighbouring countries. In Hebrew, merhav mugan dirati is shortened to the most widely used term "mamad", though protected spaces which are shared by an entire residential or office floor are called a "mamak", short for merhav mugan komati.Fortifications
Communities near the Gaza StripGaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, which have been targeted by constant rocket attacks since 2001, have additional fortifications. In March 2008 the government placed 120 fortified bus stops in Sderot, following a Defense Ministry assessment that most rocket-related injuries and fatalities were caused by shrapnel wounds in victims on the street. As of January 2009, all schools in Sderot
Sderot
Sderot is a western Negev city in the Southern District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 20,700. The city has been an ongoing target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip...
have been fortified against rockets; fortifications consist of arched canopies over roofs. However, on 3 January 2009 a Grad rocket penetrated the fortification of a school in Ashkelon.
In March 2009, Sderot inaugurated a reinforced children's recreation center built by the Jewish National Fund
Jewish National Fund
The Jewish National Fund was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Palestine for Jewish settlement. The JNF is a quasi-governmental, non-profit organisation...
. The purpose of the center, which has "$1.5 million worth of reinforced steel", is to provide a rocket-proof place for children to play. Sderot also has a "missile-protected playground," with concrete tunnels painted to look like caterpillars.
Warning sirens
Sirens also double for ceremonial use. The "all-clear" signal is used three times yearly to denote a minute's silence, once on Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day
Yom HaShoah
Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah , known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the...
and twice on Day of Remembrance
Yom Hazikaron
Yom Hazikaron is Israel's official Memorial Day. In 2011, Israel honored the memory of soldiers killed in the line of duty and the civilian casualties too.-Observance:...
.
Red Dawn
The Red Color (Hebrew: צבע אדום, transl.: Tzeva Adom) is an early warning radar system installed by the Israel Defence Forces in several towns surrounding the Gaza Strip to warn civilians of imminent attack by rockets (usually Qassam rockets). The system was installed in Ashkelon between July 2005 and April 2006.Civil aircraft
Israel's national air carrier, El AlEl Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
, is widely regarded as the safest airline in the world, and no flight leaving Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport , also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag , is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, handling 12,160,339 passengers in 2010...
has ever been hijacked. One exceptional method used in Israeli airport security is that security agents personally converse with each passenger, looking for clues that the person is a terrorist or is being unwittingly used by terrorists. Other measures include reinforced cockpit doors and an air marshal on every flight.
Public transportation
The Magen Unit was established in 2001 with the task of protecting Israeli public transportation from suicide bombers. The unit consisted of some 800 security guards, all post-army with combat certification - and in some areas, including downtown Jerusalem, the unit also utilized K-9 squads with specially-trained bomb-sniffing dogs. The unit's presence became more public in the years of the Second Intifada, in which 267 people were killed in 41 terror attacks targeting public transportation. Magen was disbanded in late 2007 following a cabinet decision in August of that year.Public and communal buildings
The entrances of most shopping malls, stores, restaurants and other public buildings in Israel have guards, and often metal detectors. While such security keeps bombers out, it also creates lines of people who sometimes become targets.Chemical warfare defenses
During the 1991 Gulf War, Israel feared that IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
would attack the country with missiles carrying chemical weapons and prepared accordingly. Four million gas masks were distributed to citizens across the country, as well as to residents of the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, and chemical-proof sealed rooms were prepared in homes. No chemical weapons were actually launched by Iraq, but Iraq did fire 39 conventional Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
missiles on Israel during the course of the war, hitting neighborhoods around Tel Aviv and elsewhere and causing extensive property damage. As soon as the first missile fell, Israel declared a chemical-weapons civil defense alert. Upon missile attacks, air-raid sirens sounded nationwide and civil defense authorities instructed the public, via radio, to don gas masks and close themselves in sealed rooms.
In early 1998, during an escalation in the Iraq disarmament crisis
Iraq disarmament crisis
The issue of Iraq's disarmament reached a crisis in 2002-2003, when U.S. President George W. Bush demanded a complete end to what he alleged was Iraqi production of weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq comply with UN Resolutions requiring UN weapons inspectors unfettered access to areas those...
, a media-stirred panic of Iraqi chemical attack ensued in Israel, with thousands lining up at gas mask distribution centers. Officials downplayed the dangers but began preparations nonetheless.
Prior to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, Israel instructed its citizens to ready their sealed rooms again and to carry gas masks at all times, though it assessed the likelihood of chemical attack as low.
Missile interception systems
The increasing danger of rocket and missile fire against the State of Israel (namely, Qassam rocket fire from Gaza, Katyusha rocket fire from South Lebanon, and Iran's ballistic missile arsenal) has led to the development of defense systems to counter this threat. In addition to the Iron Dome system, which is designed to intercept short range rockets, the David's Sling system has also been developed in order to intercept medium and long range rockets, while the Arrow missile, designed to intercept ballistic missiles, is already in use.Arrow missile
The Arrow "Interceptor" (Hebrew: טיל חץ ˈtil ˈxɛts) ABM is a theater missile defense (TMD) system; it is the first missile developed by Israel and United States that was specifically designed and built to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles on a national level.On July 29, 2004, Israel and the United States carried out a joint test flight in the USA in which the Arrow was launched against a real Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
missile. The test was a success, with the Arrow destroying the Scud with a direct hit. In December 2005 the system was successfully tested again in a firing against a replicated Scud
Scud
Scud is a series of tactical ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and exported widely to other countries. The term comes from the NATO reporting name SS-1 Scud which was attached to the missile by Western intelligence agencies...
C as Shahab-3 missile. This test success was repeated on February 11, 2007.
David's Sling
David's Sling (Hebrew: קלע דוד), also sometimes called Magic Wand (Hebrew: שרביט קסמים), is an Israel Defense Forces military system being jointly developed by the Israeli defense contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and the American defense contractor Raytheon, designed to intercept medium- to long-range rockets.Iron Dome
Iron Dome (Hebrew: כיפת ברזל) is a mobile system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. designed to intercept short-range rockets with a range less than 70 km.Rafael states that the system is an effective solution to short range rockets (such as Qassam rockets) and 155mm shells, capable of operating both during the day and at night, under various weather conditions, and able to confront multiple simultaneous threats.
See also
- United States civil defenseUnited States civil defenseUnited States civil defense refers to the use of civil defense in the history of the United States, which is the organized non-military effort to prepare Americans for military attack...
- Civil Guard (Israel)
- Palestinian rocket attacks on IsraelPalestinian rocket attacks on IsraelPalestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip have occurred since 2001. Between 2001 and January 2009, over 8,600 rockets had been launched, leading to 28 deaths and several hundred injuries, as well as widespread psychological trauma and disruption of daily life.The weapons,...
- Lebanese rocket attacks on IsraelLebanese rocket attacks on Israel since the 2006 Lebanon WarThis is a list of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel carried out by Palestinian militant groups and/or Muslim militant groups from Lebanon.- After the 2006 Lebanon War until the present :...
External links
- Israel Home Front Command (English homepage)
- Welcome to our reality, Jerusalem Post editorial