The Defense Ministry said on Thursday it had successfully completed a series of tests of the Iron Dome rocket defense system. The ministry said the system is aimed at protecting the residents of the South and North from attacks. It said a number of rockets and missiles had been hit in the tests.
In about four months' time, the Israel Defense Forces will establish a battalion in its anti-aircraft division to operate the Iron Dome system.
Defense officials predict that the system will be up and running by next year and will protect 95% of people in the area around Sderot and Ashkelon from rockets and mortars fired from the Gaza Strip.
The defense establishment recently acquired rabbinical approval for workers from Rafael, the Israel Arms Development Authority, to work on Saturdays and conducts the tests 24 hours, seven days a week.
The announcement of the successful tests comes just a few weeks after the State Comptroller released a report predicting that the project was still far from completion. The report, released at the beginning of March, said the project had been hindered by financial waste and bureaucratic problems.
In 2007, the government approved funding for the system, which is designed to intercept short- and medium-range rockets such as Qassams and Katyushas. |