Jerusalem, May 28: Israeli pupils at a school in Jerusalem headed to their shelters as an air raid siren rang out on Monday - part of an annual nation-wide drill to prepare citizens for a range of scenarios involving missile attacks and attacks with unconventional home-made weapons.
The siren sounded at 12.30pm local time (0930GMT), aimed at nurseries, schools and workplaces, prompting them to practice reaching safe zones quickly and calmly.
"The kids they know that it's a drill, they prepare very well for this and when it's time for real, when it's a real time, then they know exactly what to do and they won't be frightened or terrified," said Yardena Steinmetz, assistant headteacher at Tali Beit Vegan school.
"It's important to have a drill so that we can be ready and it helps the kids to understand and to not be afraid," one of its pupils said.
Israel is concerned that Syria's chemical weapons will fall into the hands of rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad, and over Iran's nuclear ambitions and its development of long-range missiles.
A second siren is set to sound on Monday evening with the aim of getting families to practice seeking cover.
TV and radio broadcasts have been preparing the public for the exercise which will last until Wednesday.
