Iran Attack: All You Need to Know About Israel's Iron Dome Missile System

• The Israeli military is armed with defense systems which help it defect and intercept enemy attacks
• One of those mechanisms is the Iron Dome Missile System which was built by the nation in 2006 during its conflict with Hezbollah
• With about 90% success rate according to Israel's armed forces, the dome accounts for the nation's ability to avert what would have been a national disaster on Saturday, April 13

The Saturday, April 13, attack on Israel by Iran was carried out through drone missiles and they were mostly intercepted by the Israeli forces by a defence mechanism called the iron drone missile system.

What is Israel's Iron Dome missile system?

According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Spokesman, Rear Adm., the vast majority of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted.

Daniel Hagari said the ballistic missiles caused slight damage to a military base. He said most of the missiles were intercepted by the long-range Arrow air defence system.

The iron dome was built to protect against incoming short-range weapons during all weather conditions.

The dome uses radar to track rockets and can differentiate between those that are likely to hit built-up areas and those that are not. Interceptor missiles are only fired at rockets expected to hit densely populated locations.

The defense system is made up of batteries located across Israel, each with at least three launchers that can fire 20 interceptor missiles. There are both fixed and mobile versions of the system.

How Israel's Iron Dome Defense System works

Whenever an enemy rocket is shot, the radar system quickly detects it and its track and in turn the control systems estimate the impact point. What follows is that the launcher fires missiles to intercept the rocket.

When was Iron Dome was first used

The mechanism was developed after the 2006 conflict between Israel and a militant group based in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah which fired rockets into Israel, causing huge damage and killing dozens of citizens.

In response, Israel said it would develop a new missile defence shield.

Iron Dome was created by Israeli firms Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, with some the support of the United States of America (USA).

The dome was specially designed to help combat rudimentary weapons like the rockets fired from Gaza.

The system was first used in 2011 when it knocked out a missile fired from the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas since 2007.

How effective is the Dome?

Israel's military has claimed a success rate of up to 90% while using the Iron Dome.

Hamas said that on the first day of its attack, it launched 5,000 rockets, a claim Israel has denied. The rockets were fired in a short space of time in an attempt to overwhelm Iron Dome.

Others have been fired from Lebanon by Hezbollah.

The Israeli Defense Forces said more than 8,000 rockets have been fired at Israel since 7 October.

It should be noted that rockets have evaded Iron Dome and fallen on built-up areas causing several deaths and injuries, according to Israeli media. For instance, in October 2023, four people were injured when a rocket hit an apartment building in Tel Aviv.

However, speaking on the effectiveness of the Dome, Israeli military spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said:

"The number of Israelis killed and wounded would be far higher if it had not been for the Iron Dome system, which has been a lifesaver as it always is."

Israel Discloses When It Will Respond to Iran's Counter-Attack

Israel had said it would respond to the drones and missiles attack on its territory by the Iranian forces as soon as it concludes on the mode of the attack.

An Israeli official said that Tel Aviv had yet to determine the appropriate response, whether to try to "break all the dishes" or take a more measured approach.