Tel Aviv to Get Missile Interceptor System: Army
Feb. 19, 2012 - 04:22PM By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military will deploy a battery of rocket
interceptors from its “Iron Dome” system in the Tel Aviv region on Feb. 20,
a military spokesman said Feb. 19.
“Iron Dome is being incorporated into the heart of the Israeli military. As
part of this process, the system is deployed in different sites and will be
in the Gush Dan region (of Tel Aviv) in the coming days,” he said in a
statement that clarified the deployment would begin Feb. 20.
This deployment “is part of the annual training plan for this system”, he
added.
The decision to site an Iron Dome battery at Tel Aviv comes amid heightened
regional tensions and speculation about a possible Israeli attack targeting
Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
Israel has denied that a decision has been taken to launch a pre-emptive
strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The first battery of the unique multi-million-dollar Iron Dome system was
deployed last March 27 outside the southern desert city of Beersheva, after
it was hit by Grad rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
On April 4, the system was also deployed around the southern port city of
Ashkelon.
The first of its kind in the world and still at the experimental stage, it
is not yet able to provide complete protection, but it has successfully
brought down several rockets fired from Gaza.
Designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells fired from a range of
between 4 kilometers and 70 kilometers (3 miles and 45 miles), Iron Dome is
part of an ambitious multi-layered defense program to protect Israeli towns
and cities.
Two other systems make up the program — the Arrow long-range ballistic
missile defense system and the so-called David’s Sling, or Magic Wand,
system, intended to counter medium-range missiles.
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
Posts
