Israel Building New 'Laser Wall' Defense System That Can Intercept Iran's 'Ring Of Fire'

Israel is building a new laser wall that can protect the country against missiles, UAVs, and rockets, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said. He also acknowledged that the country's famed Iron Dome defense system was too pricey.

Bennett, while talking at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv Tuesday, said the new missile interception technology will be ready within a year, reported The Jerusalem Post. The system will start operating first experimentally in the South of the country.

"This will allow us, in the medium-to-long term, to surround Israel with a laser wall that will defend us from missiles, rockets, UAVs, and other threats that will essentially take away the strongest card our enemies have against us," Bennett added.

The system is expected to be deployed on land, in the air, and at sea. The powerful airborne laser system, when it was installed on light aircraft last year, had intercepted drones and downed several UAVs at a range of one kilometer with a 100% success rate.

The plan is to build a laser with a power of 100 kilowatts that will have an effective range of 20 km.

With regard to the expenses incurred to use the Iron Dome system, the Prime Minister said Iron Dome takes tens of thousands of dollars to shoot down a rocket that just costs hundreds of dollars.

"This equation doesn’t make sense. It allows [the terrorists] to launch more and more Kassams and for us to shed many millions on a ‘lightning strike’ and billions during a campaign. We decided to break the equation, and it will be broken in only a few years," Bennett added.

Considered one of the most advanced defense systems in the world, the Iron Dome was unveiled a decade ago. According to the Israeli military, about 90% of the rockets sent by Hamas and other militant groups in Palestine were intercepted by the Iron Dome.

"If you can intercept a missile or rocket with an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we are weakening the ring of fire that Iran has built on our borders," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said Israel is willing to offer the laser technology to its regional allies that are also facing threats from Iran and its proxies. This comes as reports say Israel is planning to advance the sale of Iron Dome to the United Arab Emirates.

Photo: AFP / Menahem KAHANA