What is the Israeli Iron Dome? The defense system is what protects Israel
Israel has an Iron Dome defense system that acts as a shield intercepting and destroying short-range rockets and missiles. The militant group Hamas achieved “a complete tactical surprise” in attacks on Israelis, resulting in the deaths of at least 700 Israelis, most of them civilians, The New York Times reported.
The Iron Dome is “capable of handling multiple rockets at a time,” The Hill reported. The system was created to defend the Israeli state from threats from Gaza and southern Lebanon.
But the attacks on Saturday overwhelmed the system at the beginning of the offensive, per the Times. Authorities are still searching for answers to address what happened to the system that day.
Related
State Department confirms at least 9 U.S. citizens have been killed in Israel
How President Biden, Sen. Romney, Sen. Lee and others are responding to a surprise attack on Israel
“Hamas has challenged the very fundamental concept of Israeli deterrence,” Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., a retired Marine Corps general and former top American commander in the Middle East, told the Times. “It can only be re-established with the application of overwhelming, shocking violence. And it is only getting started.”
In the past, “The system has successfully prevented countless rockets from hitting Israeli communities,” Israel’s Ministry of Defense wrote online, per The Hill.
It has “rebuffed and destroyed rockets from Hamas militants and Palestinian forces” since it was first deployed in 2011, according to Fox News.
The Iron Dome can protect against missiles that range between 2.5 miles and around 43 miles. It “uses radar to track an incoming threat, like a missile or artillery shell, and relays the data and target coordinates firing unit,” per Fox News. An interceptor is then fired at the threatening projectile “to eliminate the threat.”
Its success rate was 90% effective at intercepting missiles until Saturday, per Fox News. The system was initially overwhelmed and slow to send warnings or responses at the start of the attacks on Saturday.
Related
