Israeli leaders announced on Thursday that their new laser missile defense system was able to efficiently intercept mortars, rockets and anti-tank missiles in the latest tests.
Israel's "Iron Beam," a laser system that was designed by Israeli defense engineers to complement other aerial defense systems such as the costly rocket-intercepting Iron Dome, had undergone a series of tests on Thursday. The new laser missile defense system testing was dubbed a success by Israeli leaders.
"This may sound like science-fiction, but it's real," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, as reported by Breitbart. "The Iron Beam's interceptions are silent, they're invisible and they only cost around $3.50 [each]."
While not much is known about Israel's new laser missile defense system's effectiveness, it is expected to be deployed on land, air, and sea. The Israeli government is looking to deploy the laser systems around the country's borders to defend against attacks in the coming decade.
Bennett's announcement on Thursday was also meant to send a message to Israel's adversaries, which include Iran and came ahead of the anniversary of the 11-day Israel-Gaza war, during which the Hamas militant group fired over 4,000 rockets towards Israel last year.
The tests took place in the Negev Desert.
Israel applauded its Iron Dome defense system, which provided a 90% interception rate against incoming rocket fire, but admitted that it was expensive to deploy. Bennett reported that when a rocket that costs a few hundred dollars is fired into Israel, it will cost tens of thousands of dollars to intercept it using the Iron Dome.
Israel's Defense Ministry released a short video showing the new system's successful interceptions of rockets, mortars and an unmanned aerial vehicle. It also showed a laser beam coming from a ground station and hitting targets, smashing them into smaller pieces. Bennett confirmed that Israel would begin using the new laser missile defense system within a year.
The testing of Israel's new laser missile defense system comes just in time, as on Tuesday, a rocket was fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. In response, Israeli military struck targets in the area, the Times of Israel reported. The rocket attack was the first in almost four months, creating friction in what was one of the longest periods of quiet on the Gaza border in years.
In a statement, the Israeli military said that it targeted several sites including one used by Hamas to manufacture their weapons. Meanwhile, Hamas-affiliated media said that the Israeli airstrikes targeted a site operated by Palestinian factions located west of Khan Younis on the southern side of the Gaza Strip.
"The IDF considers Hamas responsible for what unfolds in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli military said. but Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem downplayed Israeli attacks, saying, "The Zionist bombing of some empty sites [is] a failed attempt to prevent our Palestinian people from defending the city of Jerusalem."
Qassem added, "Congratulations to the men of the resistance who confronted the fighter jets with our anti-aircraft defense," saying that it was the first time that Hamas used the surface-to-air missile. According to the pro-Hezbollah television network al-Mayadeen, Hamas used an SA-7 shoulder-fired missile called a Strella.
