False alarm sounds in north

An air raid siren was sounded in a number on communities in the western Galilee on Thursday. The police and IDF have scanned the area, and determined it was a false alarm.

The IDF reported that profession military sources will investigate why the siren was sounded.

Around 1:15 pm an air raid siren sounded in Maalot, Shlomi, Kfar Vradim and other northern communities. Many residents took cover in their bomb shelters.

Assaf Cohen, a student from Elkosh near Maalot, told Ynet, "There was panic in the area, people ran to the shelter, and some people stayed there even though it seems to be quiet. It's not clear if this was a mistake."

Yossi Ohana of Kfar Vradim said, "We heard the siren sound. The family moved to the bomb shelter. We don't know what happened."

Yair, of Maalot-Tarshiha added, "We heard the sirens sound and went down to the shelters. No one told us anything. We didn't hear any rockets, but we decided to go anyway. People are stressed and worried and making phone calls to find out what happened."

Head of Kfar Vradim Local Council Sivan Yechieli said, "As customary in these situations, the residents were asked to staying in protected areas for 15 minutes, until it was clear whether rockets were fired.

"The council's operations room was on standby with representatives from all departments, in order to give the necessary service – so far, we weren't forced to work."

A week-and-a-half ago a false alarm sounded in Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee panhandle, just a few days after another false alarm was sounded in Kiryat Shmona, causing two women to suffer from shock.

In February, a Katyusha rocket was fired at a home in the western Galilee. Three people sustained light injuries in the attack, and two suffered from shock. The building was also damaged.

Yael Levy contribute to this report