Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s military has deployed a missile and rocket
defense system near the nation’s business capital out of concern for a
Palestinian attack.

Military sources said the Israel Air Force has been assembling the Iron
Dome missile and rocket defense system near Tel Aviv as part of an exercise.
They said the exercise, scheduled to take place around Feb. 23, would
simulate an attack from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

“The Iron Dome is in the process of being made operational as part of which the battery is being placed in various locations from time to time,” the military said in a statement on Feb. 19. “This week, as part of the military absorption plan, the battery is deployed in the area of Gush Dan for several days.”

The statement said Iron Dome would be tested for its ability to respond to an attack by medium-range rockets. The annual exercise was expected to last several days in the Tel Aviv area.

Hamas, Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad were believed to have acquired tens of thousands of missiles and rockets that could strike the Tel Aviv area. In 2009, Hamas tested an Iranian-origin Fajr-class rocket with a range of at least 60 kilometers.

The Air Force has installed Iron Dome as an element of Israel’s
multi-layered missile defense system. Iron Dome was designed to intercept
projectiles with a range of up to 80 kilometers, including Fajr and
Katyusha-class rockets.

“Iron Dome is being incorporated into the heart of the Israeli
military,” the military said.

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