Early Warning Apps To Bunkers: How Israel Is Keeping Its Civilians Safe | Exclusive

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Last Updated:June 16, 2025, 13:51 IST

Integration of real-time threat detection technology and robust infrastructure is a crucial layer of protection for the population of Israel, say intelligence sources

Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday. (AP)

Amid the conflict with Iran, Israel’s sophisticated early warning apps and extensive bunker networks represent the world’s most advanced civilian defence system against aerial threats, said top intelligence sources.

This integration of real-time threat detection technology and robust infrastructure is a crucial layer of protection for the population.

HOW DETECTION APPS WORK

Israel has developed real-time threat detection apps such as Red Alert and the Home Front Command app. These apps receive real-time data from Israel’s military radar systems, which track incoming rockets, drones, or missiles.
Alerts are triggered within seconds of detection and delivered with precision targeting using geographic polygons.
The country’s territory is divided into dynamic geographic polygons. When a threat trajectory is identified, alerts target only the affected polygons. This system can refine alerts to smaller areas, minimising unnecessary panic. In the case of a city, alerts can be tailored to specific neighbourhoods.
Notifications are deployed through audible sirens and app push alerts with custom sounds distinct from regular notifications.
Cell broadcasts, which function like SMS messages, do not require an app or GPS, making them crucial during GPS jamming. Alerts are also sent to smart devices, TVs, and other IoT gadgets, with future plans to include smart cars.
For long-range threats from places like Yemen or Iran, Israel has developed pre-alert systems. These apps issue advance warnings three-five minutes before sirens, allowing civilians to locate shelters without panic.

BUNKERS, PUBLIC SHELTERS

Since 1992, Israel has made it compulsory for all new buildings to include reinforced internal safe rooms known as MAMAD and MAMAK. These rooms, which double as bedrooms or storage spaces, have steel doors, shatterproof windows, and thick concrete walls.

Additionally, over 2,200 public shelters nationwide are stocked with essentials like water, first-aid kits, and chargers. Hotels and apartments also feature floor-by-floor bunkers.

Upon an alert, civilians have 15 seconds to 3 minutes to reach safety, depending on their proximity to conflict zones, with Tel Aviv residents having about 1.5 minutes. Safety instructions include sitting on the floor against inner walls, covering heads, and staying sheltered for 10 minutes post-alert.

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT INTENSIFIES

Iran fired a new wave of missile attacks on Israel early Monday, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of open warfare between the regional foes that showed no sign of slowing. One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, and its concussion caused minor damage, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. There were no injuries to American personnel.

Iran announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for Israel’s sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure, which have killed at least 224 people in the country since last Friday.

Israel said so far 24 people have been killed and more than 500 injured as Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. In response, the Israeli military said fighter jets had struck 10 command centres in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran.

Powerful explosions, likely from Israel’s defense systems intercepting Iranian missiles, rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn on Monday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky over the coastal city.

Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva said Iranian missiles had hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, shattering windows and ripping the walls off multiple apartments.

Israel argues that its assault on Iran’s top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists was necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran has always insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not pursued a nuclear weapon since 2003. But Iran has enriched ever-larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have the capacity to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so.

With Agency, AP Inputs