The United States and other allies helped Israel To intercept the largest number of missiles on Saturday, and perhaps to avoid escalation between the two regional enemies.
Local media reported that Israeli fighter jets and the air defense system shot down at least half of the drones, guided missiles and surface-to-surface missiles, which Israel said carried about 60 tons of explosives.
Israeli officials said that much of the work was accomplished by the long-range Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 air defense missile systems, which were developed in cooperation with the Pentagon and Boeing.
The cost of one missile ranges within Arrow system The interceptor cost ranges between two million and $3.5 million, according to Israeli sources in the defense industries sector.
The head of the missile defense system in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Moshe Patel, pointed out that the work of both the “Arrow” system and the low-altitude interceptor missile system occurred in conjunction with similar American systems in the region.
Patel told Israeli Channel 12: “The systems exchanged information to obtain a common picture of the atmosphere, and the atmosphere was certainly crowded. There is also coordination in the directions of the battle. An American officer sits in the control room of the Arrow system and coordinates with the American systems side by side.”
There was no immediate comment from US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, and said on Sunday that US forces had destroyed more than 80 drones and at least 6 ballistic missiles directed at Israel.
Israel said that 99 percent of the shells were shot down in time, limiting the losses to one casualty and limited damage to a military base.
Director of Weapons Development at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Daniel Gold, told Channel 12 that work is underway on the more advanced “Arrow 4” and “Arrow 5” models.
The Arrow 3 system intercepts ballistic missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere, using a detachable warhead that hits the target.
Maariv newspaper reported that the Arrow 3 system shot down 110 missiles outside Israeli airspace at a cost that could reach $385 million, while no comment was made. Israeli army On that news.
In response to a question on Army Radio about the cost of interceptions, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he “does not know.”
In 2022, Israel said it was working to develop a laser-based missile shield, at an estimated cost of only $2 per interception.
