Israel Has Not Yet Faced True Missile Test
Israel Has Not Yet Faced True Missile Test - US News and World Report
The U.S.-funded missile defense system Israel is using to stave off Hamas attacks seems to be working well, experts say. Though the true test is yet to come.
The day before the Israelis commenced Operation Pillar of Defense against Hamas, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told U.S. News the “Iron Dome” system was roughly 85 percent effective at repelling enemy rockets and missiles. Experts say it has likely maintained about that average over the last five days of fighting.
However, Hamas is only firing primitive rockets over a short period of time, experts say. A more advanced enemy might be able to get through Israel’s newest defensive umbrella.
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“The technical teams that put these things together have really showed some spectacular skill,” says Prof. Theodore Postol of MIT, a missile system specialist who was previously a scientific advisor to the chief of Naval Operations. “Whether it makes a difference or not, I just don’t know.”