New Delhi:
Israel's 'Iron Beam', designed to use powerful lasers to shoot down projectiles, will be operational within a year, according to reports. The laser defense system will complement the country's Iron Dome and other defense systems and usher in a “new era of warfare,” Israel's Defense Ministry said.
The Iron Beam, which will cost Israel more than $500 million, will target and neutralize missiles, drones, rockets and mortars at a time when the country is at war with Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Iran. Retaliatory attacks between the three countries have caused widespread destruction, recently hitting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in the coastal city of Caesarea.
Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, architect of Israel's Iron Dome, and Elbit Systems, the Iron Beam can reach a range of hundreds of meters to several kilometers at the speed of light. It has an unlimited magazine, costs almost nothing per interception, and causes minimal collateral damage.
Israel's Defense Ministry said the Iron Beam will shoot down the smaller projectiles, while larger targets such as ballistic missiles will be tackled by the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors. The system will heat and destroy targets, including drones, which are small, light and have a low radar signature, making them difficult targets for the Iron Dome, experts said. CNN.
In addition, the system will operate at a fraction of the costs associated with operating the Iron Dome. The Tel Aviv think tank Institute for National Security Studies said each interceptor missile fired from the Iron Dome costs about $50,000.
However, the system does not work well in poor visibility, including bad weather.
Meanwhile, the United States said it will deploy Navy B-52 bombers, fighter jets, tankers and destroyers to the Middle East, redeploying military resources as Abraham Lincoln's aircraft carriers prepare to leave the region. The latest adjustment of US forces in the region follows direct firefights in October between Israel and Iran.
Since late September, Israel has been waging a two-front war, against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas, which sparked the Gaza war by attacking Israel on October 7 last year. Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel's military retaliation campaign has killed 43,259 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators have been trying for months to broker a ceasefire and exchange hostages for prisoners to Gaza.
