Earthquake Alerts To Begin at 4.5 Magnitude, Israel’s Home Front Command Says

Israel’s civil defense system will now issue earthquake warnings based on seismic activity, notifying the public only when a quake reaches a magnitude of 4.5 or greater on the Richter scale. The Home Front Command detailed the new protocols during a recent briefing, emphasizing a shift towards precision and maintaining public trust.

Earthquake Warning Thresholds

Earthquakes measuring below a magnitude of 4.5 will be detected by sensors but will not trigger public alerts. Notifications will be sent only to affected areas if a quake measures between 4.5 and 6. A magnitude 6 quake or higher will prompt a nationwide alert, according to Lt. Col. E.

“We can’t predict an earthquake,” Lt. Col. E. said. “But we have sensors spread throughout the country, and once the sensor senses that there’s an earthquake strong enough to matter, the system sends a message.” The goal is to warn the public only when there is a significant risk to people or infrastructure.

Officials are deliberately selective with alerts. “Every siren that goes off makes civilians stop their life routine,” he said. “It has a psychological impact, it affects trust, and it affects the economy.” Excessive or inaccurate alerts can erode public confidence in the system.

Precision and Localization

The operational concept centers on precision, with alerts sent only to areas where action is required after a threat is detected and its impact zone is calculated. “Accuracy is very important in how we work,” Lt. Col. E. said. “If people get warnings that don’t match reality, they slowly stop believing. It becomes the boy who cried wolf.”

Israel has transitioned from a single alert zone, where any missile launch triggered nationwide sirens, to roughly 1,800 alert polygons. This same localized logic now applies to earthquakes.

Earthquake alerts are differentiated from missile warnings through distinct siren patterns and a spoken announcement identifying the alert as an earthquake before the tone changes, ensuring civilians understand the appropriate response.

Preparedness and Public Trust

Alerts are considered insufficient without regular drills, which are conducted in schools and municipalities for both missile attacks and earthquakes. Instructions are available online and reinforced during emergencies. “If citizens don’t know what to do when they hear the siren, all the technology won’t help,” Lt. Col. E. stressed.

The system is adapted to Israel’s diverse population, with alerts available in multiple languages and formats, including options for people with hearing or visual impairments and observant communities on Shabbat.

Public trust in the alert system has grown as accuracy has improved. At the start of the war, approximately 1 million to 2 million Israelis had downloaded the Home Front Command app. That number has since doubled and tripled as people recognized the information’s reliability.

The focus remains on careful, precise warnings to protect credibility, as public trust is considered one of Israel’s most critical lines of defense.