Gaza Belt residents now have 15 seconds before rocket strikes

Children in bomb shelter (illustrative)

Israel news photo: Flash 90

Israelis living in the tenuous Gaza border region live in fear of rocket attacks. Hardest hit during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza - when some 80% of the population evacuated - mortar shells often strike the region before the Code Red sirens sound. 

Even during Protective Edge, television viewers in the area often received advance warning of incoming rockets before sirens sounded. 

Nearly two years on, however, Gaza border residents may finally receive a chance to run for cover. After a series of ongoing tests, the Home Front Command has planned upgrades to its national warning system, Army Radio reports Monday, which will give Gaza border residents 15 seconds to find cover before a short-range rocket strike. Those 15 seconds could be enough to save a life. 

Army Radio could not elaborate on the nature of the change for security reasons, it said, but the Home Front Command views the change as a dramatic development for Israel's defense systems.