More Iron Dome batteries to be deployed across country
Defense Minister says impressive performance of Iron Dome has strategic significance for the State of Israel, security of its people.
By YAAKOV LAPPINAn Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor rocket in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod(photo credit: REUTERS)
A number of Iron Dome batteries will be rolled out in the coming days and deployed across the country.Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon spoke with the heads of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, which manufacture air-defense batteries, and thanked them for the extraordinary performance of the anti-rocket system.“Your efforts, and those of your people, in this operation are very impressive, and inspirational,” Ya’alon said. “In recent days, you and your people are working with dedication, day and night, to instantly set up more Iron Dome batteries, which will go into operation during Operation Protective Edge, and will defend the Israeli people.”Ya’alon spoke to Rafael chairman Yitzhak Gat and CEO Didi Ya’ari, and IAI chairman Rafi Maor and CEO Yosi Weiss of IAI.“I’d like to thank you and express my big appreciation for Iron Dome’s activities,” Ya’alon said. “This, most importantly, saves lives, and provides us with wide-ranging opportunities when managing the campaign against Hamas. It also sends a message to states and organizations around us, which are building up enormous quantities of missiles and rockets.”The defense minister also said the impressive performance of Iron Dome has strategic significance for the State of Israel and the security of its people, asking the executives to pass on the thanks of the Israeli people to the engineers, developers and creators of Iron Dome.A large effort to produce more interceptor missiles is also under way, Ya’alon added.A senior source from the Defense Ministry said the Iron Dome batteries allow Israel to remain “one step ahead of the other side,” adding that Iron Dome is successfully dealing with “all new threats, both technically and in terms of operations in day and night, in all weather.”“We are satisfied,” said the source.
