🚨 The IDF Home Front Command says it will be extending the warning times for rocket fire from Lebanon, as Hezbollah has been pushed back further from the border.
The move means that those in northern border communities that until now had to seek shelter immediately or within 15 seconds, will now have slightly more time.
As the IDF has pushed forces into southern Lebanon, the military says it has identified that Hezbollah is launching most of its rocket attacks on Israel from deeper within the country, including from areas north of the Litani River.
The Home Front Command, along with other military bodies, analysed Hezbollah’s rocket fire and the IDF’s detection systems, and determined that numerous communities near the border can get slightly longer warning times.
As part of the changes, the Home Front Command says a total of 58 communities where the time to seek shelter was immediate will now have 15 seconds; another eight communities where the time to seek shelter was immediate will now have 30 seconds; and six communities where the time to seek shelter was 15 seconds will now have 30 seconds.
There are another 10 communities on the northern border, where the time to seek shelter is immediate or 15 seconds, where no changes will be made at this stage, as the Home Front Command says it currently does not have enough data to adjust the warning times.
The move will take effect in the coming days, according to the Home Front Command, and may eventually also expand to other areas deeper in Israel following further review of Hezbollah’s attacks.
The change to the time to seek shelter for Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon is unrelated to the early warnings issued by the Home Front Command for ballistic missile attacks from Iran. Missile attacks from Iran take around 10 minutes to reach Israel, whereas rocket fire from Lebanon is a matter of seconds.
In recent days, the IDF has identified an uptick in Hezbollah’s rocket attacks, though most have targeted troops in southern Lebanon, rather than Israel. The pace of Iran’s attacks on Israel has, meanwhile, remained at a steady pace of around 10 missiles a day in recent days, according to the military.
