Israel Matzav: Hopefully NOT coming to your neighborhood anytime soon

Hopefully NOT coming to your neighborhood anytime soon

Let's hope images like this one from Sderot don't come to your Israeli neighborhood anytime soon, but at least if they do, they will likely come only to your neighborhood, and not to your entire city.

Col. Dr. Chilik Soffer, head of the Population Department at the Home Front Command, said Thursday that advanced rocket sensors would soon have the ability to calculate the projectile's exact trajectory.

"The rocket sensor will create a virtual ellipse [of the predicted impact zone], and all phones in that area will receive a warning," he added.

"We will use communications technology to send the signals, and we are now working with the Communications Ministry to make the alert available," Soffer said.

The alert will take four forms: A cellphone vibration, audio alert, light flash, or text message.

Currently, air raid sirens are programmed to identify and alert cities that are at risk of rocket attacks following a hostile launch.

"The more specific the alert, the more ready people will be," Soffer added.

He noted that the technology available to the Home Front Command has come a long way since the 1991 Gulf War, when Iraqi Scud missile attacks set off air-raid sirens across the whole country.

"There are 1,260 communities in Israel. There is no longer a need to set off a nationwide alert," he said.

More Israeli technology born of necessity. Be happy if you don't need it. We do.

Israel Matzav: Hopefully NOT coming to your neighborhood anytime soon