Hamas has been firing rockets and missiles into Israel, sparking Israeli retaliation. The two sides have agreed to a cease fire. Israel managed to shoot down virtually all of rockets thanks to a new anti-missile system called “Iron Dome.” Based on American technology, this is the most successful technology to defend against missiles ever devised. From Slate’s Sarah Tory:
The debut of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense shield has added a new element to the conflict, one that military officials are calling a “game-changer.” Why is Iron Dome such a significant addition to Israel’s military arsenal?
Iron Dome actually works. Israeli officials are claiming that the shield is destroying 90 percent of missiles and rockets it aims at that have been fired into southern Israel by Hamas. This level of success is unprecedented compared with older missile defense systems such as the American-made Patriot model used during the 1991 Gulf War. Israelis have almost always suffered far fewer casualties than Palestinians have, but Iron Dome has made that disparity even larger. As of Monday, Israel has reported three casualties, all of which occurred during a temporary malfunction in the missile-defense system.