The IDF said that sirens that sounded in the Kiryat Shmona area early Friday were false alerts, activated by Israeli soldiers operating in southern Lebanon. The military confirmed that no threat was identified and the incident was declared over.
Shortly after midnight on Friday, the IDF updated its account of sirens that sounded in Kiryat Shmona, stating that they were false alerts triggered by Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon. The clarification, issued at 00:28 Jerusalem, refined earlier reports that had described the incident as a 'false identification' without specifying the cause. The initial siren was reported by residents at around 00:03 Jerusalem, followed by a series of rapid updates: the Kiryat Shmona municipality confirmed the siren and said it was under investigation; N12 journalist Guy Varon reported it was a false alarm; sirens sounded again; and the IDF first said the renewed alerts were false alarms caused by military activity, then confirmed the incident over.
The sequence of events, all published at 00:03 Jerusalem, illustrates the evolution of information from unconfirmed resident reports to an official military explanation. The IDF's final statement attributed the sirens to its own forces' activity in southern Lebanon, ruling out a hostile threat. No interceptions or casualties were reported.
The Zioneer has documented a pattern of false alarm sirens triggered by Israeli military activity in recent weeks. On June 10, the IDF intercepted a suspicious aerial target in southern Lebanon after alerts in Shlomi. On June 12, false alarms in the north and Gaza were attributed to Israeli forces' operations. The incident in Kiryat Shmona follows a similar pattern.
The IDF has not provided details on the specific operation that triggered the sirens. The incident has been declared over, and no threat remains.
6 developments
- DevelopingIDF: False alarm sirens caused by Israeli activity in the area
- DevelopingFalse alarm sirens triggered in Gaza by IDF activity
- StrongIDF: Eilat sirens were a false identification
- ConfirmedSirens in northern border communities after Hezbollah drone crosses from Lebanon; IDF strikes targets in south
Source and signal
- Internal intake