This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.
It will take more than 30 years to equip Israelis throughout the country with effective safe rooms, according to the IDF’s Home Front Command.
Only two-thirds (67 per cent) of the population currently have safe rooms, according to the military. The plan is to introduce more safe rooms and build new protective spaces at a rate of 1 per cent per year, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Even a more ambitious target of 3 per cent year would leave large sections of the population vulnerable to attack from Iran and other hostile sources.
Pushing through faster measures is not an option, according to the IDF, as it would lead to widespread displacement of residents.
Safe rooms, or mamads as they are known in Hebrew, became mandatory for all residential buildings in the 1990s as a result of the Gulf War.
Often used as an extra bedroom or work space, the rooms are reinforced with concrete walls, an airtight steel door and are completely sealed. However, many older buildings do not have them, which means residents either rely on communal or public bomb shelters during sirens.
More than 50 Israelis have been killed by ballistic missiles from Iran over the last year, with many thousands more wounded.
Meanwhile, the ongoing barrage from Hezbollah in Lebanon is threatening large swathes of the population and causing widespread disruption.
This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.
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