Israel-Iran Conflict: Israel on Monday unveiled the name of its defensive operation, ‘Iron Shield,’ in response to Iran’s recent drone and missile assault. Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles on Israel on April 13, purportedly in retaliation to an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that killed two high-ranking Iranian generals.
Speaking about the operations, IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi stated: “Over the weekend, Iran launched a large-scale attack on Israel. Over 350 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, armed drones and rockets were fired from Iranian soil as well as Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon towards the State of Israel.”
Watch IDF Chief of the General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi thank 🇺🇸 @CENTCOM , 🇬🇧Armed forces, 🇫🇷 Armed Forces and other partners for their participation in Operation Iron Shield and address the Iranian attack: pic.twitter.com/YIlAQBXdjY
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 15, 2024
“The Israel Defense Forces, together with the United States Central Command; the British Armed Forces; the French Armed Forces, and other partners operated together in real-time in the air, on the ground, and at sea,” he added.
Hailing the Israel’s defence operations, he stated: “Defense systems were activated; the threats were intercepted and Iran’s attack on Israel failed. Operation Iron Shield proved the strength of our iron-clad cooperation.”
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated that the defence operation was successful in intercepting “99% of Iran’s drones and missiles” through various tactics, including the use of GPS jamming. Prior to the Iranian attacks on Saturday, Israel reportedly deployed GPS jamming tactics to disrupt any potential strikes on residential areas. This tactic created a temporary disruption, as for a brief period, residents of Tel Aviv were displayed on Google Maps as being in Cairo or Beirut. By jamming GPS signals, Israel aimed to confuse the UAV drones and missiles launched by Iran.
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What Is Iron Dome?
The ‘Iron Dome’ is a key component of Israel’s multi-layered defence shield. It is a short-range missile defence system designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 4 to 70 kilometres away. In addition to the Iron Dome, Israel’s defensive system includes the long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missile systems, which provide protection against ballistic missile threats.
The Iron Dome, a short-range air defence system, was created to intercept rockets launched by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from Gaza. Developed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with support from the US, it became operational in 2011. Each unit, towed by a truck, launches radar-guided missiles to destroy short-range threats such as rockets, mortars, and drones while they are airborne, according to Reuters.
