It allows you to identify enemy rockets and fire missiles to intercept incoming ones. These are the details of how the Israeli defensive system works.
Tensions in the Middle East have further increased since the assassination of the leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an explosion while visiting Iran .
The militant group’s top political leader was in Tehran, the Iranian capital, for the presidential inauguration by Massoud Pezeshkian.
The offensive took place on July 31, and although Haniyeh was staying in a compound known for hosting authorities and special guests, The explosion of the device ended his life as well as that of his bodyguard. .
After the attack, local authorities and Hamas they accused Israel to be responsible .
However, the country of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He neither claimed responsibility nor denied being behind the operation. .
The episode happened just a day after the killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut was confirmed on July 30 the capital of Lebanon.
In this specific case, Israeli forces confirmed having led the attack.
After the attack on Haniyeh, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly warned that Israel would face “severe sanctions” and ordered a direct offensive. against their territory, as revealed by three officials from their country New York Times .
At the same time, Iranian diplomatic spokesman Nasser Kanaani, He said that “Iran has the legal right to punish” Israel. .
Faced with this situation, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called on the international community to “act urgently” to prevent an escalation of the conflict In the region.
According to what the three Iranian officials told the aforementioned American media, Israel attack order envisions combination of missiles, drones .
In this sense, they stated that The launch would take place towards military targets located near Tel Aviv and Haifa. .
They also said they would avoid attacking civilians and that The plan envisages support from allied forces on other fronts such as Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
Previously, In April 2024, Iran directly attacked Israel with a mixture of these types of projectiles. after its embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, was attacked, killing at least seven of its military commanders.
Despite the intensity of the attack, Most were intercepted by their defense systems and the support of their allies Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said at the time.
Until It is unclear how large a new attack by Iran on Israeli territory would be. .
However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that Even if they do not seek war with Iran and its allies, they are “preparing for all possibilities.” .
What is Israel’s Iron Dome and how does it work?
To neutralize air threats, Israel has a mechanism known as the Iron Dome .
It is an anti-missile shield that protects Tel Aviv and other cities. which has a radar system that detects where the rockets are going, in addition to warning of their future impact.
The Iron Dome has the ability to identify projectiles at a distance of 4 to 70 kilometers, while responds by firing Tamir interceptor missiles towards the incoming enemy. .
Once you have detected them, sends an alert to the population up to one minute in advance . However, in the most critical cases it can happen a few seconds earlier, depending on what was rescued. CNN in Spanish
Its aim is to protect strategic areas and populated areas. .
This anti-missile system It is composed of three parts : a detection and tracking radar, a weapons control and combat management system, and a missile firing unit.
The Israeli army explained to the aforementioned media that “The radar detects the launch of a rocket and transmits information about its trajectory to the control center, which calculates the expected point of impact.” .
“If this location warrants an interception, a missile is fired to intercept the rocket The interceptor missile’s payload explodes nearby, in a location where it should not cause injury.
To function, the Iron Dome uses at least 10 batteries, each carrying three to four missile launchers as saved by the BBC .
The Israeli Defense Ministry said that can respond to multiple attacks simultaneously and has a success rate of up to 90% .
Added to this is that It can work in different weather conditions and only takes a few hours to move. and configure it again.
The Iron Dome Its development began in February 2007 by the company Rafael Advanced Defense System LTD. and the corresponding tests were completed in July 2010. A year later, in 2011, it was declared operational.
Even though it was this Israeli-based company that was responsible for developing it, The United States also contributed financially to this system. .
In May 2010, they approved the granting of a sum of more than 205 million dollars While in July 2012, under the administration of Barack Obama, a fund of 70 million dollars in the same currency was announced to finance the project.
According to CNN, the president said at the time: “This is a program that has been crucial in terms of ensuring the safety and protection of Israeli families (…) was examined and prevented missile attacks against Israel.”
A report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) details that, Through March 2023, the United States has supported Israel with more than $3 billion to finance its operation. of the Iron Dome.
Furthermore, In March 2014, their governments signed a co-production agreement so that the components of the system can be built in the North American country and have access to the technology it has.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
