Israel is once again relying on its vaunted Iron Dome air defense system to protect its citizens from rockets fired by Hamas, but risks being overwhelmed if the war against the terrorist group spills over into a regional conflict, according to reports. .
Thousands of rockets have been fired at Israel since Hamas carried out its surprise attack on October 7, but the Iron Dome – or “Kippat Barzel” in Hebrew – has shot down most of them in spectacular aerial displays captured on television.
“Thanks to Iron Dome, we have not suffered huge casualties from the rockets that have been fired,” said Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.
In August 2022, the Israeli Defense Ministry said the all-weather mobile system had shot down 97% of the Palestinian rockets it had launched during a surge of fighting in Gaza over the weekend.
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 Hamas rockets the day before.Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
Here’s an in-depth look at 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 Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, with financial and technical support from the United States, to protect populated areas and critical assets from short-range aerial threats.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Development of Iron Dome began in 2006 in response to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which fired rockets at Israel from southern Lebanon.
It was first deployed in March 2011 near the southern city of Beersheva, about 40 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, to combat Soviet-designed Grad rockets fired from the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepts a rocket launched 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 projectiles in the air using a sophisticated computer. The system has been updated several times over the years.
It is estimated to have at least 10 batteries deployed throughout Israel, each of which is designed to defend an area of 60 square miles, CNBC reported.
Looking to help? Donate here to the UJA Federation of New York emergency fund to provide critical relief to the people of Israel, working with a network of nonprofit organizations helping Jewish communities around the world.
Each battery is equipped with three or 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 determines whether their trajectories pose a threat to strategically important sites or populated areas, according to CNBC.
The Israeli Iron Dome anti-rocket defense system in action against a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on May 11, 2021. Abir Sultan/EPA
If a rocket poses a threat, a command and control center launches its own Tamir missile to intercept it. Rockets that are not expected to hit vulnerable sites are dropped harmlessly.
The system is made up of three parts: the radar, which detects an incoming rocket and collects data on its flight path; a computer, which calculates where the rocket will impact; and a launcher, which fires Tamir interceptors, NPR reported.
“For rockets and artillery, for ballistic missiles, it’s pretty predictable. So if you see something traveling in a particular arc, you know where it will go in the rest of its trajectory,” Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the outlet. .
Rays of light are seen as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets over the city of Ashkelon on May 12, 2021. Amir Cohen/Reuters
“You also know where it’s going to end,” he added. “If a rocket goes off course and is going to land in the Negev desert, they will just let it go.”
How much does it cost?
An Iron Dome battery costs about $100 million to produce, CNBC reported, citing an estimate from the Center for International Strategic Studies, an American think tank.
Each missile it launches costs between $40,000 and $50,000, according to NPR.
The United States has invested almost $3 billion in 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 more than three decades after seizing the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins the Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fire rockets at the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches largest 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 were seen taking women hostage and parading them down the street in gruesome videos.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced “We are at war” and promised that Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
Gaza health officials report that at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured.
President Biden has pledged to ask Congress for an “unprecedented support package” to bolster Israel’s security forces.
“We are going to keep the Iron Dome fully supplied so that it can continue to monitor the Israeli skies, 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 United States in the coming days, Axios reported Thursday, citing an Israeli official and two Americans.
Reuters, citing a U.S. official and a congressional aide, reported that the Pentagon plans to send the two units it had previously purchased from Israel back to the Jewish state to defend itself.
A rocket launched from Gaza City controlled by the Palestinian movement Hamas is intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system on May 11, 2021. Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images
The White House said Monday that it hoped to meet Israel’s additional security requests as quickly as possible.
Biden promised to replenish the system’s interceptors, as well as ammunition, in addition to redoubling the US military presence in the region.
What are its limitations?
Analysts have warned that Iron Dome could be overwhelmed by intense rocket fire.
The Center for European Policy Analysis, another American think tank, said in 2021 that if terrorists identify and achieve saturation of Iron Dome, “critical system upgrades may not be achieved,” CNBC reported.
A saturation attack is designed to overwhelm the system with simultaneous missile attacks from multiple directions to impair its ability to respond effectively.
A Bloomberg report on Thursday also noted that as the war with Hamas continues, Iron Dome risks being stretched to the limit if the conflict expands.
Hamas fired 3,000 rockets in the first 20 minutes of its attack, a significant increase over its previous operations, Patrick Sullivan, director of the Institute of Modern Warfare at the US Military Academy, told the outlet.
Citizens take cover as Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepts a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. officials are concerned that Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has about 100,000 missiles and rockets, will fire them at Israeli cities from Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah enters the ongoing conflict, there is an absolute risk that Iron Dome’s defenses will be overwhelmed by rocket fire,” Shaan Shaikh, an associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told Bloomberg. D.C.
“Hezbollah’s missile arsenal, of course, dwarfs Hamas’s and surpasses it in quality and precision,” Alexander Downes, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, told the outlet.
“If you launch massive salvos, some will make it through,” he said.
With post cables
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn