Israel: text message warning system to alert about missiles

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have begun testing on an text message warning system designed to inform civilians about missile attacks. Test text messages are set to arrive on the mobile phones of hundreds of thousands of people in the country in four languages - Arabic, Hebrew, English and Russian, with the system expected to be operational by next month. The aim of the text message system is simple: to limit fatalities should Israel come under attack. 'We are thoroughly upgrading our warning systems, in which Israel is among the most developed in the world,' said Isareli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement on Sunday. News of the text message ('Home Front Command, mobile alerts system test', it says) comes in the wake of growing concern about Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities, with sources in local media and Netanyahu's conservative government claiming that the country has sped up its building of nuclear warheads. 'All of the threats that are currently being directed against the Israeli home front pale against a particular threat, different in scope, different in substance, and therefore I reiterate that Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons,' Netanyahu added. Newspaper Yediot Ahronot revealed Thursday that Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak could be willing to attack Iranian nuclear installations this autumn, before the U.S. presidential elections. In June, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatened wide ranging reprisals if Iranian nuclear facilities are attacked. But former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has warned: 'There is no reason to attack Iran in the coming weeks or months, especially without the 'indispensable' go-ahead of the United States. 'The debate on nuclear program does not reflect reality,' he added, 'we must not be hysterical, we must not lose our grip.'