What Weapons Did Israel Use to Block Iran’s Attack?

Israeli forces used two fundamental defensive weapons, the Iron Dome and the Arrow 3, to shoot down many of the greater than 300 drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles fired at its territory by Iran, whereas others had been shot down by the United States and different allies.

Here’s a have a look at the 2 Israeli techniques:

Iron Dome

Israel’s Iron Dome protection system can intercept many varieties of rockets that fly in excessive arcs, making them troublesome to cease. It turned operational in 2011 and bought its first huge check over eight days in November 2014, when Gaza militants fired some 1,500 rockets at Israel. While Israeli officers claimed successful price of as much as 90 % throughout that battle, exterior specialists had been skeptical.

The system’s interceptors — simply 6 inches broad and 10 toes lengthy — depend on miniature sensors and computerized steerage to zero in on short-range rockets. Israel’s bigger interceptors — the Patriot and Arrow techniques — can fly longer distances to go after greater threats.

The Iron Dome was upgraded in 2021, however the particulars of the modifications weren’t made public.

Just two days after the Oct. 7 assault on Israel, the Israeli authorities requested the United States to supply extra precision-guided munitions for its fight plane and extra interceptors for its Iron Dome missile protection system, based on a U.S. official.

As the dying toll within the battle in Gaza has climbed, Democrats have referred to as for President Biden to chop off the circulation of American arms to Israel — or impose situations on their use. Mr. Biden lately hinted that he might put some restrictions on weapons gross sales if his warnings to restrict civilian casualties in Gaza should not heeded however mentioned defensive weapons just like the Iron Dome would by no means be in jeopardy.

Arrow 3

The Arrow 3, which represents the highest tier of Israel’s multilayered air protection system, is designed to intercept ballistic missiles armed with nuclear and different nonconventional warheads exterior the earth’s ambiance.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israel’s chief navy spokesman, mentioned on Sunday that the Arrow 3 had “proved itself towards a major variety of ballistic missiles” fired by Iran.

The system, developed with substantial funding from the United States, is a venture of Boeing and the government-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and its subsidiaries, in cooperation with the missile protection businesses of the 2 international locations.

The Arrow 3, examined in 2015 when it intercepted a missile flying simply above the ambiance, is an enchancment on its predecessor system, the Arrow 2. The newer model is quicker and may maneuver in area, based on Israeli officers.

Israel mentioned final August mentioned that the U.S. authorities had permitted its request to promote the Arrow 3 system to Germany, setting in movement a $3.5 billion settlement.