Israel is once again relying on its vaunted Iron Dome air defense system to protect its citizens from rockets fired by Hamas – but it risks being overwhelmed if the war against the terror group spills over into a regional conflict, according to reports.
Thousands of rockets have been fired into Israel since Hamas launched its surprise attack on October 7, but Iron Dome – or “Kippat Barzel” in Hebrew – shot down most of them in a dramatic aerial display shown on TV.
“Thanks to the Iron Dome, we did not suffer any major injuries from the rockets that were fired,” said Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
In August 2022, Israel’s Defense Ministry said the mobile, all-weather system had shot down 97% of the Palestinian rockets it fired during a weekend wave of Gaza fighting.
Iron Dome had a 95.6% success rate during a rocket attack by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in May, according to CNBC.
An Iron Dome air defense system battery is seen in the foreground (left) at the Ashkelon refinery on May 12, 2021, which was hit by a Hamas rocket the previous day. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
Here’s an in-depth look at the Iron Dome as Israel prepares for what is expected to be a major ground assault on the Gaza Strip:
What is the Iron Dome?
The system was developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, with US financial and technical support, to protect populated areas and critical assets from close-range air threats.
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Development for the Iron Dome began in 2006 in response to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which launched rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon.
It was first used in March 2011 near the southern city of Beersheva, about 25 miles from the Gaza Strip, to combat Soviet-designed Grad rockets fired from the Palestinian territories.
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepts a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on May 11, 2021. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
Iron Dome launches guided missiles to intercept rockets and other short-range missiles in the air using sophisticated computers. The system has been upgraded several times over the years.
It is estimated to have at least 10 batteries deployed across Israel, each designed to defend an area of 60 square miles, CNBC reported.
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Each battery is equipped with three to four launchers, each containing up to 20 Tamir interceptors that can shoot down projectiles from 2.5 to 43 miles away, according to a Congressional Research Service report cited by the outlet.
How does it work?
Iron Dome uses radar to track incoming projectiles and determine whether their trajectory poses a threat to important strategic sites or populated areas, according to CNBC.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system in action against rockets fired from the Gaza Strip on May 11, 2021. Abir Sultan/EPA
If the rocket poses a threat, the command and control center launches its own Tamir missile to intercept it. Unexpected rockets hitting vulnerable sites are allowed to land harmlessly.
The system consists of three parts: radar, which detects incoming rockets and collects data on its flight path; the computer, which calculates where the rocket will hit; and the launcher, which fired at Tamir’s interceptor, NPR reported.
“For rockets and artillery, for ballistic missiles, it is quite predictable. So if you see something moving on a certain arc, you know where it’s going to go throughout its trajectory,” Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the outlet. .
A beam of light is seen as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts a rocket in the city of Ashkelon on May 12, 2021. Amir Cohen/Reuters
“You also know where it will end,” he added. “If a rocket goes astray and is just going to land in the Negev desert, they’re just going to let that one go.”
How much does it cost?
Iron Dome batteries cost about $100 million to produce, CNBC reported, citing estimates from the Center for Strategic International Studies, a US think tank.
Each missile it launches costs about $40,000 to $50,000, according to NPR.
The US has invested nearly $3 billion into launchers, interceptors and general maintenance, according to a Congressional Research Service report cited by the outlet.
The worst attack on Israel in 50 years: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launched a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches its biggest attack on Israel in 50 years.
More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, more than 4,200 wounded and at least 100 taken hostage, with the death toll expected to rise after Hamas terrorists fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of militants into Israeli cities.
Hamas terrorists are seen taking women hostage and parading them through the streets in a gruesome video.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and promised Hamas would pay an “unprecedented price.”
Gaza health officials reported at least 3,000 Palestinians killed and more than 12,500 injured.
President Biden has promised to ask Congress for an “unprecedented support package” to bolster Israel’s security forces.
“We will ensure that the Iron Dome is fully supplied so that it can continue to stand sentinel over the skies of Israel, saving Israeli lives,” he said at the end of his visit to Israel on Wednesday.
Israel is expected to receive two new Iron Dome batteries from the US in the coming days, Axios reported Thursday, citing an Israeli and two American officials.
Reuters, citing a US official and congressional aide, reported that the Pentagon plans to send two units it previously bought from Israel back to the Jewish state for self-defense.
A rocket fired from Gaza City controlled by the Palestinian Hamas movement is intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system on May 11, 2021. Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images
The White House said on Monday that it expects to meet additional security requests from Israel as soon as possible.
Biden promised the addition of interceptor systems and missiles in addition to doubling the US military presence in the region.
What are the limitations?
Analysts have warned that the Iron Dome could be overwhelmed by heavy rocket fire.
The Center for European Policy Analysis, another US think tank, said in 2021 that if terrorists successfully identify and saturate Iron Dome “critical updates to the system may not be achievable,” CNBC reported.
A saturation attack is designed to overwhelm a system with simultaneous missile attacks from multiple directions to affect its ability to respond effectively.
A report from Bloomberg on Thursday also noted that as the war with Hamas continues, the Iron Dome is at risk of being stretched to its limit if the conflict escalates.
Hamas fired 3,000 rockets in the first 20 minutes of its attack, a huge increase from previous operations, Patrick Sullivan, director of the US Military Academy’s Modern Warfare Institute, told the media.
People take cover as Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
US officials worry about the possibility that Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has about 100,000 missiles and rockets, could fire them into Israeli cities from Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah enters a sustained conflict, there is an absolute risk of the Iron Dome’s defenses being overwhelmed by rocket fire,” Shaan Shaikh, an associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, told Bloomberg.
“Hezbollah’s missile arsenal, of course, dwarfs that of Hamas and exceeds it in terms of quality and accuracy,” Alexander Downes, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, told the newspaper.
“If it launches a massive salvo, some will succeed,” he said.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
