Red Color

Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel
A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel, December 2008.
By year
2001 2002–2006 2007 2008 2008 cease-fire Gaza War 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Groups responsible
Fatah Hamas Islamic Jihad PFLP DFLP PRC Ansar al-Sunna Force 17 Army of Islam Tawhid wal-Jihad Abdullah Azzam Brigades Mujahideen Shura Council
Rocket types
Mortar Qassam Al-Quds Katyusha Grad Fajr-5
Cities hit
Ashdod Ashkelon Beersheba Eilat Gedera Kiryat Gat Kiryat Malakhi Netivot Sderot Ofakim Yavne Tel Aviv Jerusalem
Regional Council areas hit
Hof Ashkelon (Karmia Netiv HaAsara Yad Mordechai Zikim) Eshkol (Nir Oz Nirim Yesha) Sha'ar HaNegev (Kfar Aza Nahal Oz Nir Am) Sdot Negev (Alumim Sa'ad) Merhavim* Be'er Tuvia * Yoav Bnei Shimon* Gush Etzion
Settlements hit (evacuated)
Atzmona Dugit Elei Sinai Gadid Ganei Tal Katif Kfar Darom Morag Netzarim Netzer Hazani Neve Dekalim Nisanit Rafiah Yam Slav
Defense and response
Civil defense in Israel Red Color Iron Dome ZAKA
See also
Rocket attacks on Eilat Lebanese rocket attacks on Israel

The Red Color (Hebrew: צבע אדום‎, transl.: Tzeva Adom) is an early-warning radar system installed by the Israel Defense Forces in several towns surrounding the Gaza Strip to warn civilians of imminent attack by rockets (usually Qassam rockets).^[1] Outside of areas serviced by the Red Color system, standard air raid sirens are used to warn of rocket attacks.

The system currently operates in a number of southern Israeli cities within range of missiles fired from the Gaza Strip, including Ashkelon and Sderot. When the signature of a rocket launch is detected originating in Gaza, the system automatically activates the public broadcast warning system in nearby Israeli communities and military bases. A two-tone electronic audio alert (with a pattern of high, 2 second pause, high-low) is broadcast twice, followed by a recorded female voice^[2] intoning the Hebrew words for Red Color ("Tzeva Adom").^[3] The entire program is repeated until all rockets have impacted and no further launches are detected. In Sderot, it gives residents approximately 15 seconds' warning of an incoming missile.^[3]

The system was installed in Ashkelon between July 2005 and April 2006.

Up to 2007, the announcement was called Red Dawn (Hebrew: שחר אדום‎, transl.: Shachar Adom) but it was changed to the Hebrew words for Red Color (Hebrew: צבע אדום‎) due to a complaint made by a 7 year old girl named Shakhar (Hebrew for dawn).

It was the subject of a documentary, which focused on how children are to cope with an alert,^[4] directed by Yoav Shoam.

Since 2014, alerts have been available on an iPhone application from the App Store. It was the most downloaded app in Israel in July 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. ^[5] Users can select to receive alerts for rocket attacks nation-wide, or only in their districts.

See also

• Counter-battery radar
• List of Qassam Rocket Attacks

References