Iron Dome too pricey — ‘laser wall’ next

TEL AVIV — Israel’s prime minister acknowledged this week that its Iron Dome defense system is too expensive and the country is speeding the rollout of laser technology to help protect it from rocket attacks.

Naftali Bennett told a security conference that the new generation of technology — a “laser wall” — will be unveiled within a year in southern Israel. Little is known about the system’s effectiveness, but the system eventually is expected to be deployed on land, in the air and at sea and send a deterrent message to archenemy Iran and its proxies.

The lasers are designed to complement Israel’s multilayered defenses — which include the Iron Dome and other systems capable of intercepting long and medium-range missiles and drones.

“If it is possible to intercept a missile or rocket with just an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we will have nullified the ring of fire that Iran has set up on our borders,” Bennett said, adding, “This new generation of air defense can also serve our friends in the region.”

Israel unveiled the Iron Dome a decade ago, and the military says it has been a great success, with a 90% interception rate against incoming rocket fire during four wars against militants in the Gaza Strip.

Bennett said the system is limited by its high price, which is partly underwritten by the United States.

Bennett said someone in Gaza can fire a rocket toward Israel for a few hundred dollars, but it costs tens of thousands of dollars to intercept it. In May, Hamas fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel.