Chasdei Hashem: IDF Hails Iron Dome’s Success In Intercepting Hostile Missiles

Palestinian terrorists fired over 1,000 rockets into Israel in 36 hours, mainly targeting Israeli towns and villages adjacent to the Gaza border or a little further afield. The overwhelming majority landed in open areas, causing no damage.

But those that didn’t saw a far more explosive end, taken down by Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

The system, first deployed in 2011, is designed to intercept and destroy missiles and rockets heading for populated areas. On Sunday morning, the Israeli military (IDF) said that of the missiles detected heading for population centers, 185 were taken down by the Iron Dome, a 97 percent success rate.

Observers – and the IDF – note that this is a massive improvement in the system’s performance in earlier rounds of conflict with rocket-launching Gazan militants.

In its first major operational test, 2011’s “Operation Pillar of Defense” against Gaza militants, the Iron Dome had a 75 percent success rate. Three years later, in 2015’s “Operation Protective Edge,” the success rate was 80 percent. And in last year’s “Operation Guardian of the Walls,” it was 90 percent.

The Iron Dome consists of three elements: a radar that detects incoming missiles, a command and control stems that determines the threat level – whether the missile’s trajectory will see it hit a population center or essential infrastructure, and an interceptor that aims at intercepting and destroying the incoming projectile.

However, the Iron Dome doesn’t intercept every rocket fired. It doesn’t have to. Close to 300 landed in open areas, and the IDF says it also detected 115 failed launches, where the missile landed in the Gaza Strip.

Including, the military says, one that killed several children in Jebaliya, a strike Palestinians have blamed on Israel.

“There’s video documenting the entire thing. There was no Israeli activity in the Gaza Strip, in that area or at that time,” says Karen Hajioff, Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s spokeswoman to the international media.

Meanwhile, until a truce is announced and implemented, the missiles continue, as are the Israeli air strikes on Gaza. As a result, dozens of Palestinians have been killed, not all of them militant leaders or followers.

In Israel, on the other hand, there has been only minor damage and injuries – caused by the very few rockets that managed to evade the Iron Dome. – i24 News –