Iron Dome shields Israel as it intercepts Hamas rockets fired by Palestinians from Gaza

As tensions escalated for the sixth day, both Israel and Gaza saw heavy shelling and intensified aerial attacks. On May 12, the Palestinian fundamentalist Hamas hurled more than 1050 projectiles and mortar shells into the Zionist territory. The attacks were retaliated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which targeted over 500 targets in the Gaza Strip, razing high-rise buildings and suspected territories. While the Hamas-controlled territory was caught unguarded, Israel on the other hand, had its much-vaunted Iron Dome with an interception rate of 80 to 90 per cent. 

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What constitutes the Iron Dome?

The Iron Dome Defense System has been defending the Zionists from enemy attacks since 2011 and intercepted over 2,400 projectiles till now. Despite the fact that each launch costs roughly US$50,000, the missiles have successfully "saved hundreds of lives", head of the Israel Missile Defence Organisation, Moshe Patel told Times of Israel.

Each battery of the Iron Dome has discreet radar detection and tracking systems, a firing control system and three launchers for 20 interceptor missiles. Each battery has a range between four and 70 kilometres. Experts have opinioned that the country needs a total of 13 missile batteries to defend all of the Israeli territories.

Why is Iron Dome important?

Israel’s Iron Dome Defense System is specifically designed to intercept and destroy short-range missiles. Additionally, the Jewish state also possesses a range of other missile defence systems including Arrow to counter ballistic missile and David’s sling for medium defence capabilities. However, the Iron Dome is deemed to be most significant owing to frequent forays from the vicinity. It is imperative to note that Israel has been in a state of emergency since its formation in 1948 owing to the threat of potential wars.

Who developed the Iron Dome?

The game-changer missile defence system was developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, a state-owned defence firm along with Israel’s Aerospace Industry. The development was partial funding from the US, which in total contributed US$ five billion to the project. The anti-projectile system has been one of the most important paradigms of the Israel-US relationship.

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