IDF: Israeli missile defense greatly improved since 1991
By Itim
The likelihood of Iraq launching missiles against Israel is not high, and Israel's defense mechanism against surface-to-surface missiles, the Arrow and Patriot missiles, has greatly improved since the 1991 Gulf War, in comparison to the Iraqi threat, which has declined, Brigadier General Yair Dori, who heads the IDF's anti-aircraft division, said Thursday.
"I feel sure that we have a response to Iraqi surface-to-surface missiles," Dori told a press conference at the Palmahim Air Force base, where he hosted reporters at an Arrow missile battery following a drill practising Israeli response to a surface-to-surface missile attack.
Dori said that today, 11 years after the Gulf War, Israel has an Arrow missile battery equipped with advanced technology that has proven itself in a number of varied simulations.
In response to a question regarding the capabilities of Iraqi surface-to-surface missiles, Dori said that the Iraqi system has been disrupted due to international inspections following the Gulf War, and due to damage incurred during the war.
Dori also said that Iraq still has surface-to-surface missile launchers and missiles, some of which are already stationed in western Iraq or can be moved to locations there.
The Arrow battery in Palmahim is used regularly by the IDF, while a second, stationed in the Ein Shemer region, is a reserve. The IDF hopes that in the coming years, a third battery will be deployed, which will provide better protection for the country and will defend against a massive surface-to-surface attack in the event of a comprehensive war.
According to Dori, Israel and the United States are working together on efforts to deter a possible Iraqi strike against Israel. Aside from the Arrow battery, Israel also has Patriot missile batteries, which can respond to surface-to-surface missiles at a lower trajectory should the Arrow missiles be unable to intercept the missiles at higher altitudes.
An anti-aircraft system has been set up across the country, especially in light of the September 11 attacks on the United States. Anti-aircraft missiles have also been positioned on Israel's eastern borders to counter threats from Iraqi planes.
Anti-aircraft apparatus has similarly been deployed on the northern border, in order to thwart aerial attacks from Lebanon. The anti-aircraft missiles and IAF fighter jets are also prepared to defend the country's western border, to counter threats from the sea, including threats posed by commercial aircraft attempting to carry out a mega-terror attack, such as the one carried out last year on the Twin Towers in New York.
According to Dori, the American-made Patriot missile system has been upgraded since the Gulf War, when the missiles did not prove themselves to be effective in counteracting the Iraqi Scuds.
To date, the defense establishment has conducted five tests to prove the Arrow missile's capability. During the last attempt a year ago, IAF jets fired missiles simulating surface-to-surface missiles launched from hundreds of kilometers away. The missiles were successfully shot down by the Arrow missile battery in Palmahim.
Dori also stressed that despite Israel's state of readiness for all threats and its supply of advanced weaponry, there is no system capable of providing the state with comprehensive protection, and the capability of the Arrow can only be proven when the threat to Israel is real and the Arrow is put to the test
Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.
