An F-16 fighter jet. The US is using miitary tactics developed by the IDF in their battle against ISIS. Photo: WikiCommons

JNS.org – The United States is using an early warning tactic developed by the Israel Defense Forces to minimize civilian casualties in American strikes against Islamic State terror targets in Iraq, a U.S. military official revealed Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Peter Gersten, deputy commander of operations and intelligence for the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting Islamic State, said the U.S. Air Force is now using an early warning method dubbed “roof knocking” to warn the residents of a suspected terrorist hideout that the premises has been targeted.

Developed during Operation Cast Lead, fought in the Gaza Strip in December 2008 and January 2009, this tactic consists of firing a projectile near or above an intended target, signaling to anyone inside to leave the building prior to an aerial strike.

The IDF has been using this warning tactic in every military operation since 2009, with the aim of sparing as many lives as possible.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Gersten said the U.S. Air Force employed the warning signal during its strike on Islamic State targets in Mosul, in northern Iraq, stating that the “tactic and technique were inspired by the Israeli military.”