ISRAEL: Israelis praise 'Iron Dome' rocket interceptor

Record ID: 299504

  • Title: ISRAEL: Israelis praise 'Iron Dome' rocket interceptor
  • Date: 13th July 2014
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (JULY 11, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IRON DOME ROCKET INTERCEPTOR BATTERY VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS CAMPED ALONGSIDE BATTERY VARIOUS OF IRON DOME BATTERY MILITARY POLICE GUARDS AT ENTRANCE TO BATTERY SITE TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (JULY 12, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEL AVIV RESIDENT, NAME UNKNOWN, SAYING: "Today I came to the beach because, the Iron Dome,
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8D8WNJZEHIBGH2OPI6W2GW11H
  • Story Text: Tel Aviv residents were full of praise for Israel's Iron Dome interceptor rockets that officials say has shot down some 90 percent of Palestinian rockets aimed at Israeli population centres.
    Israel's military said Sunday (July 13) Palestinian militants had fired more than 800 missiles.
    Eight batteries of the system, made by the state-owned Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd and partly funded by Washington, have been rotated around Israel to tackle unprecedented long-range salvoes by Hamas guerrillas. The most recent battery was hurriedly deployed only two days ago, Israel's Defence Ministry said.
    Rafael said it had been working on improvements to Iron Dome, which is designed to fire guided missiles at rockets that threaten to hit populated areas while ignoring others.
    There have been few injuries and no fatalities from rockets that hit towns or cities - results that also reflect Israel's extensive investment in air raid sirens and shelters.
    Despite the rocket fire, cafes, restaurants and Tel Aviv's beachfront appear crowded and busy as usual.
    "Today I came to the beach because, the Iron Dome, I feel very safe, it protects me from the Hamas, and because of this I feel safe," one unnamed Tel Aviv resident said.
    "When I watch the rockets in the air being intercepted, I know that Israel's going to protect us, I know that we're going to be ok, I don't feel like I need to worry about it, I know that I have a warning, I know that the sirens will go off, and I have 15 seconds to get somewhere, I feel safe," American visitor to Tel Aviv, Abi Dan, said.
    Israeli leaders say that by stemming rocket damage, Iron Dome dampens domestic pressure to escalate the current aerial barrage against Gaza into a more devastating ground invasion.
    An Israeli air force officer said that the system had had "approximately 90 percent" success since violence escalated sharply on Tuesday (July 8).
    Iron Dome was initially billed as providing city-sized coverage against Katyusha-style rockets with ranges of between 5 km (3 miles) and 70 km (42 miles).
    Addressing a Tel Aviv conference hosted by Israel Defence magazine on Monday, Avi Serfaty, deputy general manager of Iron Dome radar manufacturer Elta, said the system could now provide defence at distances of up to 150 km (95 miles), potentially allowing more versatile use of batteries deployed nation-wide.
    Elta is a subsidiary of state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries.
    Since the latest round of fighting began, Hamas and other Gaza guerrillas have launched rockets as far as 115 km (73 miles), threatening Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, northern Haifa port, the holy city of Jerusalem and a nuclear reactor in the southern town of Dimona.
    Some of the long-range rockets have been Syrian- and Iranian-supplied M302s with 144 kg (317 lb) warheads, Israeli experts say, while others are locally made M-75 rockets with much smaller explosive payloads.
    Given the 10 percent of failed interceptions, Israeli officials have warned against so-called "Iron Dome tourism", where the public, reassured by the system's performance, stay outdoors to watch the shoot-downs rather than taking cover.
    The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 159 Palestinians, including about 135 civilians - among them some 30 children - have been killed six days of warfare, and more than 1,000 have been wounded.
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