The sound of sirens were heard throughout Israel today, calling more than seven million people to take refuge in shelters, as the nation continued a five-day emergency civil defence exercise called Turning Point 3.

On Sunday, Israel entered the tenth day of all-out "regional war" as the starting point of the simulated conflict with parallel rocket attacks from Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Iran.

The drill, which will last until Thursday, is testing the way the cabinet, government ministries and local councils handle various emergency scenarios, primarily missile attacks. A new system that issues warning of incoming missile attacks to private mobile phones will also be tested. The drill will also evaluate how ordinary citizens and aid workers respond in the event of chemical warfare or a natural disaster. It is the biggest security drill in the history of the Jewish State.