How do citizens in Israel prepare for missile attacks?

By Olivia Mustafa, ITV News Producer

On October 1, Iran launched its largest-ever missile attack on Israel, triggering emergency alerts and air raid sirens across the country. Despite 180 missiles being fired towards Israel, no serious injuries or deaths were reported.

Israel has a complex defence infrastructure, including multi-layered air defences and warnings for civilians.

The country's Home Front Command issues advice Israeli citizens should follow in case of a national emergency, such as a missile strike.

Here is how Israelis are instructed to prepare - and respond - to an inbound attack.

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Emergency drills

In the past, the Israeli military has carried out nationwide drills to prepare its forces and citizens for an inbound attack.

Sirens sound out across the country and all Israelis are instructed to treat the drill as if it were a real threat, moving to bomb shelters and safe rooms.

Schools have also taken part in drills, with teachers trained to move students to secure spaces.

Types of shelters

People in Israel have several different options when it comes to accessing safe places if a strike is imminent, depending on the time it takes to reach shelter.

The first priority upon hearing a siren, according to Israel's Home Front Command, is reaching safe rooms known as MAMADs or MAMAKs.

A MAMAD is a secure room within a house or apartment, while a MAMAK refers to a secure space on each floor of a multi-storey building.

The Israeli government has said a safe room should be the innermost room in the building, with limited external walls, windows and openings. There must be no tiles, glass or mirrors on walls.

Shelters should contain food and water in sealed containers, emergency lights, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, phone chargers, and important documents.

The Home Front Command also suggests equipping safe rooms with things to "pass the time".

If those two options are not available, Israelis are advised to go to bomb shelters within buildings, as these can be reached via internal staircases.

When internal bomb shelters are not accessible, the Home Front Command advises citizens to go to one of the country's hundreds of public bomb shelters.

If it is not possible to reach a safe room or a bomb shelter, people should "choose a protected internal space, with the least number of exterior walls, windows and openings".

People on the top floor of a building more than three stories high should move two floors below and stay in the stairwell, if a safe room or bomb shelter is not available.

Emergency protocol

Israel has a system of air raid sirens which warn of incoming attack, along with an app which sends alerts directly to people's mobile phones.

An early warning system calculates where rockets will land, activating sirens. The 'Red Alert' app triggers alarms on phones according to information from the military and secret service.

If an air raid siren sounds, citizens are told to immediately move to a designated secure room and sit on the floor against an inner wall. If one isn't available, they are advised to wait in a stairwell.

Those who are outside and unable to shelter in a building should lie on the floor and protect their head with their hands, the Home Front Command has said.

If someone is in a car and cannot enter a building, they should leave their vehicle and do the same.

People travelling by public transport when sirens sound are advised to crouch below window level and guard their head and neck with their hands.

According to Israeli government guidance, people can leave protected spaces after ten minutes if no further instructions have been given.

Warning times

Depending on where people live in Israel, they have different timeframes within which to find a safe place if a missile strike is imminent.

Those in Eilat, a coastal city on the Red Sea beside Jordan, may have three minutes to seek shelter.

People in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have an estimated 1.5 minutes to find a safe place, whilst settlements close to the border with Gaza could only have 15 seconds.

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