Many Israelis in central Israel reported on Sunday that they received an unusual alert on their mobile phones from the IDF Home Front Command.
The alert, which read "Emergency Alert: Severe," caused much panic.
The alert stated that "in the coming minutes, alerts are expected in your area. Improve your location to the best shelter in your area."
It further stated that when an alert is recieved one should enter a protected space and remain until notice.
A short time later, the IDF clarified that the alert was an error. "Following a technical error, a preliminary directive was sent to mobile devices in central Israel. The incident was caused by a malfunction," a statement from the IDF Spokesperson's Unit read.
The IDF further clarified that "there is no suspicion of a security incident. The incident is under review."
The Security and Emergency Department of the Bnei Brak Municipality said, “The cell broadcast (CB) alerts received this morning by some Cellcom subscribers in the city were caused by a malfunction. It is hereby clarified that this was not a genuine alert, there are no instructions to enter protected spaces, and the matter is being investigated with the relevant professional authorities."