A system that can shoot down incoming rockets has passed its last tests and will be ready for deployment in a few months, Israel’s Defense Ministry reported.
The $200 million Iron Dome system uses sophisticated radar to track incoming rockets, intercepting and destroying them far from their targets. It is the only antirocket system of its kind in the world, according to experts.
It aims to protect Israel from homemade and imported rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, as well as the more sophisticated rockets in the hands of Hezbollah guerrillas on Israel’s border with Lebanon.
The ministry said the first two Iron Dome batteries would be deployed near the town of Sderot by November.
Wide deployment of an antirocket system could significantly change the Mideast military equation. If a Palestinian state were created in the West Bank, an antirocket system such as Iron Dome could protect Israel’s main international airport. — ap