Israel was the second country in the world, after Saudi Arabia, with the highest military spending in 2022. 4.5% of its GDP is dedicated to defense. The NATO average is around 2%. One of Israel's major security investments in recent years has been the Iron Dome, one of the most advanced defense systems in the world.
The Iron Dome makes it possible to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and mortars launched at Israel from a distance of up to 70 kilometers.
How does it work?
First, a radar detects the rockets sent towards Israel and captures information about their speed and trajectory, which is sent to a control center. Next, the control center calculates whether the rocket will fall on populated areas, and in that case, a missile is fired from a launcher, also called anti-missile defense batteries. Israel has about 10 anti-missile defense batteries that can be easily moved to place them in danger zones. Additionally, they can operate day and night, under any weather conditions.
Once the missiles are launched into the air, and directed thanks to a radar inside them that receives constant information from the control center. When the missile intercepts the rocket, it explodes near it to destroy it. We always try to ensure that this explosion occurs far from populated areas, to minimize ground damage.
The Iron Dome was created in response to the sending of more than 4,000 rockets by Hizbullah, during the war between Israel and Lebanon in 2006. With financial support from the US, the Iron Dome began operating in 2011, becoming one of the pillars of the Israeli defense system.
The attack on Israel initiated by Hamas this Saturday surprised everyone. On the one hand, the Iron Dome had created a false sense of security among Israeli society. The rockets no longer worried the population, who trusted in the power of interceptor missiles. However, Hamas's ground offensive was unexpected.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflicts of recent years had always ended with a much higher number on the Palestinian side. However, in the last three days there have been at least 700 Israeli deaths, something never seen before. The Iron Dome this time has not been enough to protect the Israeli population.
