Battery deployment expedited after 4 rockets fired at TA.
By YAAKOV LAPPIN, JPOST.COM STAFFIron Dome battery.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE)
The Defense Ministry deployed a fifth Iron Dome battery in the Gush Dan area in the center of Israel on Saturday morning.The battery, originally scheduled to be deployed in two months time, was expedited in light of the ongoing security escalations and rocket barrages striking Israel, including four rockets fired at Tel Aviv on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon.The Defense Ministry said technicians were "working around the clock" in order to move the fifth battery from the test field to the battlefield. The new battery was recently tested for its improved capabilities.The upgraded system is designed to shoot down rockets at longer ranges than what the older Iron Dome batteries are capable of.Speaking earlier this month, Defense Minister Ehud Barak described the development as “significant progress toward the completion of a multi-layered defense system,” adding that further resources will need to be invested.Click for full JPost coverageThe four Iron dome batteries currently deployed in Israel have successfully intercepted well over a hundred rockets from Gaza since Operation Pillar of Defense began on Friday.
