After incorporating valuable feedback and suggestions, I have made refinements to the code to improve its flexibility in creating triggers and sensors. These enhancements are effective as of October 18, 2023. If you installed the script prior to this date, it is strongly recommended to replace the contents of your existing "orefalert.py" file with the code presented on this page. This ensures compatibility with the latest improvements and features. For those who installed the script earlier and choose not to update, please note that your sensors will continue to function during alarms. However, it is still advisable to consider updating for the benefits of improved performance and functionality.
Not Official Pikud Ha-Oref.
Short Hebrew version can be found here: https://github.com/idodov/RedAlert/blob/main/hebrew.md
This script creates a Home Assistant binary sensor to track the status of Red Alerts in Israel. The sensor can be used in automations or to create sub-sensors/binary sensors from it.
The sensor provides a warning for all threats that the PIKUD HA-OREF alerts for, including red alerts rocket and missile launches, unauthorized aircraft penetration, earthquakes, tsunami concerns, infiltration of terrorists, hazardous materials incidents, unconventional warfare, and any other threat. When the alert is received, the nature of the threat will appear at the beginning of the alert (e.g., 'ירי רקטות וטילים').
Installing this script will create a Home Assistant entity called binary_sensor.oref_alert. This sensor will be on if there is a Red Alert in Israel, and off otherwise. The sensor also includes attributes that can serve various purposes, including category, ID, title, data, description, the number of active alerts, and emojis.
Until we all have an official Home Assistant add-on to handle 'Red Alert' situations, there are several approaches for implementing the data into Home Assistant. One of them is creating a REST sensor and adding the code to the configuration.yaml file. However, using a binary sensor (instead of a 'REST sensor') is a better choice because it accurately represents binary states (alerted or not alerted), is more compatible with Home Assistant tools, and simplifies automation and user configuration. It offers a more intuitive and standardized approach to monitoring alert status. I tried various methods in Home Assistant, but this script worked best for my needs.
While the binary sensor's state switches to 'on' when there is an active alert in Israel behavior may not suit everyone, the sensor is designed with additional attributes containing data such as cities, types of attacks and more. These attributes make it easy to create customized sub-sensors to meet individual requirements. For example, you can set up specific sensors that activate only when an alarm pertains to a particular city or area.
The icon and label of the sensor, presented on the dashboard via the default entity card, are subject to change dynamically with each new alert occurrence. To illustrate, in the event of a rocket attack, the icon depict a rocket. Additionally, there exists a distinct emoji associated with each type of alert, which can be displayed alongside the alert message.
- This installation method relies on Supervised Add-ons, which are exclusively accessible if you've employed either the Home Assistant Operating System or the Home Assistant Supervised installation method (You can also opt to install the AppDaemon add-on through Docker. For additional details, please consult the following link: https://appdaemon.readthedocs.io/en/latest/DOCKER_TUTORIAL.html).
- As it a binary sensor, it doesn't save history data as you may want, there is a quick workaround to address this issue by creating a text sensor that will retain the data. To implement this, please refer to the Sensor History section below.
- Install the AppDaemon addon in Home Assistant by going to Settings > Add-ons > Ad-on-store and search for AppDaemon.
- Once AppDaemon is installed, enable the Auto-Start and Watchdog options.
- Go to the AppDaemon configuration page and add
requestsPython package under the Python Packages section.
- Start the add-on
- In file editor open /config/appdaemon/appdaemon.yaml and make this changes under appdeamon section for
latitude: 31.9837528&longitude: 34.7359077&time_zone: Asia/Jerusalem. You can locate your own coordinates (latitude & longitude) here: https://www.latlong.net/
---
secrets: /config/secrets.yaml
appdaemon:
latitude: 31.9837528
longitude: 34.7359077
elevation: 2
time_zone: Asia/Jerusalem
plugins:
HASS:
type: hass
http:
url: http://127.0.0.1:5050
admin:
api:
hadashboard:- Create a file named orefalert.py in the /config/appdaemon/apps/ directory.
- Paste the script code into the orefalert.py file and save it.
The script updates the sensors every 3 seconds, or more frequently if you specify a shorter scan
interval.
# UPDATED 18/10/2023
import requests
import re
import time
import json
import codecs
from datetime import datetime
from appdaemon.plugins.hass.hassapi import Hass
interval = 3
class OrefAlert(Hass):
def initialize(self):
self.check_create_binary_sensor()
self.run_every(self.poll_alerts, datetime.now(), interval)
def check_create_binary_sensor(self):
# Check if the binary_sensor exists
if not self.entity_exists("binary_sensor.oref_alert"):
self.set_state("binary_sensor.oref_alert", state="off",
attributes={ "id":"", "cat": "", "title": "", "desc": "", "data": "", "data_count": 0, "duration": 0, "last_changed": "", "prev_cat": 0, "prev_title": "", "prev_desc": "", "prev_data": "", "prev_data_count": 0,"prev_duration": 0, "prev_last_changed": ""},)
def poll_alerts(self, kwargs):
url = "https://www.oref.org.il/WarningMessages/alert/alerts.json"
headers = {
'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/58.0.3029.110 Safari/537.3',
'Referer': 'https://www.oref.org.il/',
'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
}
icons = {1: "mdi:rocket-launch",2: "mdi:home-alert",3: "mdi:earth-box",4: "mdi:chemical-weapon",5: "mdi:waves",6: "mdi:airplane",7: "mdi:skull",8: "mdi:alert",9: "mdi:alert",10: "mdi:alert",11: "mdi:alert",12: "mdi:alert",13: "mdi:run-fast",}
icon_alert = "mdi:alert"
emojis = {1: "🚀",2: "⚠️",3: "🌍",4: "☢️",5: "🌊",6: "🛩️",7: "💀",8: "❗",9: "❗",10: "❗",11: "❗",12: "❗",13: "👣👹",}
icon_emoji = "🚨"
try:
response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
if response.status_code == 200:
response_data = codecs.decode(response.content, 'utf-8-sig')
if response_data.strip():
try:
data = json.loads(response_data)
if 'data' in data and data['data']:
alert_title = data.get('title', '')
alerts_data = ', '.join(data['data'])
icon_alert = icons.get(int(data.get('cat', 1)), "mdi:alert")
icon_emoji = emojis.get(int(data.get('cat', 1)), "❗")
if isinstance(alerts_data, str):
data_count = len(alerts_data.split(','))
else:
data_count = 0
duration_match = re.findall(r'\d+', data.get('desc', '0'))
if duration_match:
duration = int(duration_match[0]) * 60
else:
duration = 0
# Create or update binary_sensor with attributes
self.set_state(
"binary_sensor.oref_alert",
state="on",
attributes={
"id": data.get('id', None),
"cat": data.get('cat', None),
"title": alert_title,
"desc": data.get('desc', None),
"data": alerts_data,
"data_count": data_count,
"duration": duration,
"last_changed": datetime.now().isoformat(),
"prev_cat": data.get('cat', None),
"prev_title": alert_title,
"prev_desc": data.get('desc', None),
"prev_data": alerts_data,
"prev_data_count": data_count,
"prev_duration": duration,
"prev_last_changed": datetime.now().isoformat(),
"icon": icon_alert,
"emoji": icon_emoji,
"friendly_name": alert_title,
},
)
else:
# Clear the sensor if there is no data in the response
self.set_state(
"binary_sensor.oref_alert",
state="off",
attributes={
"id": "",
"cat": 0,
"title": "אין התרעות",
"desc": "",
"data": "",
"data_count": 0,
"duration": 0,
"emoji": icon_emoji,
"icon": icon_alert,
"friendly_name": "Oref Alert",
},
)
except json.JSONDecodeError:
self.log("Error: Invalid JSON format in the response.")
icon_alert = "mdi:alert"
else:
# Clear the input_text and set binary_sensor state to off if there is no data in the response
self.set_state(
"binary_sensor.oref_alert",
state="off",
attributes={
"id": "",
"cat": 0,
"title": "אין התרעות",
"desc": "",
"data": "",
"data_count": 0,
"duration": 0,
"icon": icon_alert,
"emoji": icon_emoji,
"friendly_name": "Oref Alert",
},
)
else:
self.log(f"Failed to retrieve data. Status code: {response.status_code}")
except Exception as e:
self.log(f"Error: {e}")- With a file editor, open the /config/appdaemon/apps/apps.yaml file and add/enter the following lines
orefalert:
module: orefalert
class: OrefAlert- Restart the AppDaemon addon.
After restarting the AppDaemon addon, Home Assistant will generate the binary sensor named binary_sensor.oref_alert. You can incorporate this sensor into your automations and dashboards. All sensor attributes will remain empty until an alert occurs, at which point they will be updated.
To ensure that the sensor is functioning correctly, it is recommended to follow these steps after installing the script:
- Access the AppDaemon web interface, which can be found on the main page of the add-on in Home Assistant, located to the right of the "start" button. If you are accessing this page from your local network, you can use the following link: http://homeassistant.local:5050/aui/index.html#/state?tab=apps (If the link is broken, replace "homeassistant.local" with your Home Assistant's IP address).
- Within the state page, you can monitor the sensor to check if it is working as expected.
In case the sensor isn't functioning properly, make sure to review the logs. You can access the logs from the main AppDaemon page on the screen. This will help you identify and resolve any issues or problems that may arise.
Red Alert Trigger for Cities with Similar Character Patterns, Specific City, and Cities With Multiple Alert Zones
Choosing the right method for binary sensors based on city names and alert zones is crucial. To distinguish similar city names, like "Yavne" and "Gan Yavne", it's better to use the SPIT function instead of REGEX_SEARCH.
For residents in cities with multiple alert zones: Ashkelon, Beersheba, Ashdod, Herzliya, Hadera, Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya, Rishon Lezion, Ramat Gan, and Tel Aviv-Yafo - to set up triggers or sensors covering the entire city, it's recommended to use the REGEX_SEARCH function. This ensures they receive alerts for the whole city, even if it has multiple alert zones. This approach provides comprehensive coverage for these cities.
To create a sensor that activates only when an attack occurs in a specific city that has similar character patterns in other city names, you should use the following approach. For example, if you want to create a sensor that activates when only "יבנה" and not "גן יבנה" is attacked, you can use the following code syntax.
{{ "יבנה" in state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data').split(', ') }}
{{ "אירוס" in state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data').split(', ')
or "בית חנן" in state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data').split(', ')
or "גן שורק" in state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data').split(', ') }}
In cities with multiple zones, relying solely on the SPLIT function won't be effective if you've only defined the city name. If you need a sensor that triggers for all zones within the 11 cities divided into multiple alert zones, it's advisable to utilize the SEARCH_REGEX function instead of splitting the data.
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') | regex_search("תל אביב") }}
If you want to trigger a specific area, use the SPLIT function and make sure to type the city name and area exactly as they appear in https://www.oref.org.il/12481-he/Pakar.aspx
{{ "תל אביב - מרכז העיר" in state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data').split(', ')
The 'cat' attribute defines the alert type, with a range from 1 to 13, where 1 represents a missile attack, 6 indicates unauthorized aircraft penetration and 13 indicates the infiltration of terrorists. You have the option to set up a binary sensor for a particular type of alert with or without any city or area of your choice.
Trigger for Automation
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'cat') == '6' }}
Trigger for Automation
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'cat') == '6'
and "נחל עוז" in state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data').split(', ') }}You can generate a new binary sensor to monitor your city within the user interface under 'Settings' > 'Devices and Services' > 'Helpers' > 'Create Helper' > 'Template' > 'Template binary sensor'
Ensure that you employ the accurate syntax!
Since it's a binary sensor based on attributes, Home Assistant history is only saved when the sensor transitions between on and off states. If you wish to maintain a complete history of all alerts, including the type of alert and the city, follow these steps:
- Create a new TEXT helper. You can generate a new text entity to monitor history, within the user interface under 'Settings' > 'Devices and Services' > 'Helpers' > 'Create Helper' > 'Text'
- Name it "Last Alert in Israel".
- Change the maximum length to 255.
- Develop a new automation that updates the text sensor each time a red alert occurs in Israel with the flexibility to create this automation for all cities or for a specific city or area, depending on your preferences. You can use the following code (all alerts).
alias: Last Alert
description: "Saving the last alert to INPUT_TEXT (all alerts)"
mode: single
trigger:
- platform: state
entity_id:
- binary_sensor.oref_alert
to: "on"
condition: []
action:
- service: input_text.set_value
data:
value: >-
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'title') }} - {{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') }}
target:
entity_id: input_text.last_alert_in_israelThe sensor's logbook will become available following the initial alert.
Displays whether there is an alert, the number of active alerts, and their respective locations.
type: markdown
content: >-
<center><h3>{% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 0 %}
כרגע יש {% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 1 %}{{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') }} התרעות פעילות{% elif
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') == 1 %} התרעה פעילה אחת{%
endif %}{% else %} אין התרעות פעילות{% endif %}</h3>
{% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 0 %}<h2>{{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'emoji') }} {{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'title') }}</h2>
<h3>{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') }}</h3>
**{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'desc') }}** {% endif %} </center>
title: Red AlertUsing this script, you have the flexibility to include additional information, such as the precise time the alert was triggered.
type: markdown
content: >-
<center><h3>{% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 0 %}
כרגע יש {% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 1 %}{{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') }} התרעות פעילות{% elif
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') == 1 %} התרעה פעילה אחת{%
endif %}{% else %} אין התרעות פעילות{% endif %}</h3>
{% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 0 %}<h2>{{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'emoji') }} {{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'title') }}</h2> <h3>{{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') }}</h3> **{{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'desc') }}** {% endif %}
{% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'last_changed') |
regex_match("^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}T\\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}.\d+$") %}
{% set last_changed_timestamp = state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert',
'last_changed') | as_timestamp %}
{% set current_date = now().date() %}
{% if current_date == (last_changed_timestamp | timestamp_custom('%Y-%m-%d',
true)
| as_datetime).date() %}
ההתרעה האחרונה נשלחה היום בשעה {{ last_changed_timestamp | timestamp_custom('%H:%M', true) }}
{% else %}התרעה אחרונה נשלחה בתאריך {{ last_changed_timestamp |
timestamp_custom('%d/%m/%Y', true) }}, בשעה {{ last_changed_timestamp |
timestamp_custom('%H:%M', true) }}
{% endif %}
{% endif %}
</center>
Another nicer way:
type: markdown
content: >-
<ha-icon icon="{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'icon')
}}"></ha-icon> {% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 0
%}כרגע יש {% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 1 %}{{
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') }} התרעות פעילות{% elif
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') == 1 %} התרעה פעילה אחת{%
endif %}{% else %}אין התרעות פעילות{% endif %}{% if
state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') > 0 %}
<ha-alert alert-type="error" title="{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert',
'title') }}">{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') }}</ha-alert>
<ha-alert alert-type="warning">{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert',
'desc') }}</ha-alert>
{% endif %}
{% if state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'last_changed') |
regex_match("^\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}T\\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}.\d+$") %}
{% set last_changed_timestamp = state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert',
'last_changed') | as_timestamp %}
{% set current_date = now().date() %}{% if current_date ==
(last_changed_timestamp | timestamp_custom('%Y-%m-%d', true)
| as_datetime).date() %}<ha-alert alert-type="info">ההתרעה האחרונה נשלחה היום בשעה {{ last_changed_timestamp | timestamp_custom('%H:%M', true) }}
{% else %}התרעה אחרונה נשלחה בתאריך {{ last_changed_timestamp |
timestamp_custom('%d/%m/%Y', true) }}, בשעה {{ last_changed_timestamp |
timestamp_custom('%H:%M', true) }}{% endif %}{% endif %}</ha-alert>
You have the flexibility to generate various automated actions triggered by the binary sensor or its subsidiary sensors. As an example, one potential application is to dispatch alert messages to a LED matrix screen (in pic: forwarding all alerts to the Ulanzi Smart Clock, which is based on ESPHome32 and features a screen).
(Change #your phone# to your entity name)
alias: Notify attack
description: "Real-time Attack Notification"
trigger:
- platform: state
entity_id:
- binary_sensor.oref_alert
from: "off"
to: "on"
condition: []
action:
- service: notify.mobile_app_#your phone#
data:
message: "{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') }}"
title: "{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'emoji') }} {{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'title') }}"
mode: singleAs another illustration, you can configure your RGB lights to change colors repeatedly while the alert is active.
(Change light.#light-1# to your entity name)
alias: Alert in TLV
description: "When an alert occurs in Tel Aviv, the lights will cyclically change to red and blue for a duration of 30 seconds, after which they will revert to their previous states"
trigger:
- platform: template
id: TLV
value_template: >-
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') | regex_search("תל אביב") }}
condition: []
action:
- service: scene.create
data:
scene_id: before_oref_alert
snapshot_entities:
- light.#light-1#
- light.#light-2#
- light.#light-3#
- repeat:
count: 30
sequence:
- service: light.turn_on
data:
color_name: blue
target:
entity_id:
- light.#light-1#
- light.#light-2#
- light.#light-3#
- delay:
hours: 0
minutes: 0
seconds: 0
milliseconds: 500
- service: light.turn_on
data:
color_name: red
target:
entity_id:
- light.#light-1#
- light.#light-2#
- light.#light-3#
- delay:
hours: 0
minutes: 0
seconds: 0
milliseconds: 500
- service: scene.turn_on
data: {}
target:
entity_id: scene.before_oref_alert
mode: singleThe "desc" attribute provides information on the duration in minutes for staying inside the safe room. This automation will generate a timer based on the data from this attribute. Before implementing this automation, it's essential to create a TIMER helper.
- Create a new TIMER helper. You can generate a new timer entity within the user interface under 'Settings' > 'Devices and Services' > 'Helpers' > 'Create Helper' > 'Timer'
- Name it "Oref Alert".
- Create automation with your desire trigger,
for example: (change
#your phone#to your entity name)
Alias: Safe to go out
description: "Notify on phone that it's safe to go outside"
mode: single
trigger:
- platform: template
value_template: >-
{{ "תל אביב - מרכז העיר" in state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert',
'data').split(', ') }}
condition: []
action:
- service: timer.start
data:
duration: >-
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'duration') }}
target:
entity_id: timer.oref_alert
- service: notify.mobile_app_#your phone#
data:
title: ההתרעה הוסרה
message: אפשר לחזור לשגרה{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'title') }} #כותרת
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data') }} #רשימת ישובים
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'desc') }} #הסבר התגוננות
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'cat') }} #קטגוריה
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'duration') }} #זמן שהייה במרחב מוגן בשניות לצורך כיוון טיימר
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'id') }} #מספר ייחודי
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'data_count') }} #מספר התרעות פעילות
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'emoji') }} #אימוג'י עבור סוג התרעה
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'prev_title') }} #כותרת אחרונה שהיתה פעילה
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'prev_data') }} #רשימת ישובים אחרונים
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'prev_desc') }} #הסבר התגוננות אחרון
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'prev_cat') }} #קטגוריה אחרונה
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'prev_duration') }} #זמן שהייה האחרון שהיה במרחב מוגן בשניות לצורך כיוון טיימר
{{ state_attr('binary_sensor.oref_alert', 'prev_data_count') }} #מספר התרעות בו זמנית קודמותid: '133413399870000000'
cat: '1'
title: ירי רקטות וטילים
friendly_name: ירי רקטות וטילים
data: אזור תעשייה הדרומי אשקלון
desc: היכנסו למרחב המוגן ושהו בו 10 דקות
data_count: 1
emoji: 🚀
id: ''
cat: 0
title: אין התרעות
desc: ''
data: ''
data_count: 0
duration: 0
last_changed: ''
prev_cat: 0
prev_title: ירי רקטות וטילים
prev_desc: היכנסו למרחב המוגן ושהו בו 10 דקות
prev_data: אזור תעשייה הדרומי אשקלון
prev_data_count: 1
emoji: 🚨
"prev_*" stores the most recent information when the sensor was active. These attributes will become available after the first alert.
This code is based on and inspired by https://gist.github.com/shahafc84/5e8b62cdaeb03d2dfaaf906a4fad98b9