Amid continued threats from Hamas, Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said a “laser wall” will protect the country from rockets, missiles and UAVs.
“The economic equation will be reversed, they will invest a lot and we will invest a little,” Bennett said referring to repeated rocket attacks by militant groups on Israel.
The Israeli prime minister also pointed at Iran, saying: “If it is possible to intercept a missile or rocket with just an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we will have nullified the ring of fire that Iran has set up on our borders.”
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Benett asserted that the “new generation of air defence” can also serve “friends in the region”. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system has been widely used by its forces to intercept incoming missiles fired by militants however the prime minister said it is expensive while citing thousands of rockets fired by Hamas in May last year during the conflict.
However, military experts have said the laser deployment may not be ready for years but reports say Bennett insisted it would be introduced within a year.
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Israel’s Iron Dome shield has the capability to intercept drones, missiles and rockets simultaneously and has been credited with helping Israel to maintain military supremacy over its neighbours.
Iron Dome was formally selected as Israel’s missile defence system in 2007, the same year the Islamist group Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip.
It was originally designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells fired from a range of four to 70 kilometres. The Israeli Air Force has been operating it since 2011 while thwarting rocket attacks from Gaza.
Reports say each battery of the Iron Dome costs approximately $100 million with missiles costing $50,000.
(With inputs from Agencies)
