The Geological Survey of Israel and the Ministry of Energy announced on Sunday that due to IDF operations to destroy terror tunnels, a special protocol has been put in place for operating the "TRUAA" national earthquake alert system.

On October 26th, the "TRUAA" system was activated for the first time since becoming operational as a result of the detonation of 370 tons of explosives during an IDF operation to destroy a Hezbollah tunnel near Kfarkela in southern Lebanon.

The automatic alert that was issued by the system through various alerts, including alarms and mobile phone apps, confused the public.

Following the incident, the Geological Survey conducted an inquiry that found that the TRUAA system worked precisly as planned, and the dissemination of the alert as a result of the explosion stemmed from an unusual combination of the detonation's intensity, the proximity to the system's sensors, and the fact that the algorithm was programmed for earthquakes, not detonations. In light of this, the Geological Survey and IDF Home Front Command worked to develop special protocols for controlled detonations to prevent false alarms by the TRUAA system without affecting its functionality in the event of an earthquake. Among other things, it was decided that IDF operations to destroy tunnels will be reported ahead of time to the Geological Survey.

Dr. Itay Korzon, Head of the Seismology Division at the Geological Survey, concluded: "The incident highlighted the unique challenges facing the State of Israel, in a security environment where unusual controlled explosions, such as those currently being carried out by the IDF in various regions, occasionally occur. This uniqueness requires preparedness for exceptional operational scenarios. We have learned lessons from the event and have already applied them in similar incidents, ensuring that no false alerts were issued."