Those crucial extra minutes were thanks to a warning system that could help save civilian lives in an expected regime offensive on Idlib province, home to the last significant rebel-held area. The resulting estimate can then trigger air raid sirens near the target zone and send warnings to mobile phone applications, giving residents more time to take cover. - 'Huge spike in use' -First launched in August 2016, the Sentry technology has become a sort of weather forecast service for many Syrians. Hala Systems estimates that its warning system is available to around two million people in Syria, most of them in Idlib. - 8 minutes -Residents who get an alert via social media, local radio stations or the air raid sirens that Hala triggers remotely have an average of eight minutes to seek shelter, Jaeger said.

Source: Sunday Times August 30, 2018 04:52 UTC