Leading defense specialist says missile defense system's successful interception of rockets will have profound impact, both politically and militarily.
By MORDECHAI I. TWERSKYIron Dome 311(photo credit: REUTERS)
A leading Israeli defense specialist who helped develop the Arrow missile defense system has called Israel's new Iron Dome missile defense system a “game-changer.”Uzi Rubin, who served as the first Director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, says the system’s successful interception, this week, of eight Grad rockets fired toward Israel from Gaza will have a profound impact, both politically and militarily.RELATED:'Gov't consistently ignored, downplayed Gaza rocket threat'“It changes the whole mindset at the political level,” Rubin told Inside Israel. “We now have the leeway , the leverage, to decide what we want to do. Up to now they [Hamas] could escalate whenever they wanted. Now the world has changed.”Rubin, who twice earned Israel's prestigious Defense Prize, also sees major military implications for Israel, once upscale military defense systems will come on-line and take-on more accurate, long-range Hezbollah rockets capable of reaching key Israeli infrastructure sites.“Those are military weapons against military threats,” said Rubin. “If those systems will work as successfully, they are a game-changer on the military side.”
