Iron Dome intercepts first rocket
Ashkelon residents report seeing Grad explode in midair as dozens of rockets fired at south
Shmulik Hadad
Residents in Ashkelon reported Thursday seeing Israel’s new Iron Dome defense system intercept a Grad rocket fired towards the southern city from the Gaza Strip.
Eyewitnesses told Ynet they saw the rocket explode in midair and realized that the system had intercepted its first rocket.
Moshe Ben Hemo, a resident of Ashkelon, said, “I was in the street and I heard a strange sound, like someone pushing the gas pedal of a car. Then I saw the rocket fly through the air and explode. Immediately I realized that it was Iron Dome, that’s what has been said here.”
He added that the rocket alert had not been set off. “The rocket was apparently supposed to explode in Ashkelon. In any case I’m glad the system works,” he said.
After hitting a student bus traveling through Shaar Hanegev Regional Council Thursday, critically wounding a 16-year old boy and lightly injuring the driver, terrorists in Gaza fired more than 15 rockets and mortar shells at Israel. No further injuries were reported.
Ashkelon’s Iron Dome system was set up just Monday, with soldiers running extensive tests to make sure it was functioning properly. Another system was set up earlier in Beersheba.
The defense establishment decided to place the system earlier than planned due to the recent escalation of violence in the south. It has already been set up in Haifa, and in the coming weeks officials plan to put it in place in central Israel as well.
Hanan Greenberg contributed to this report
| Teen critically injured in attack on Negev bus / Ilana Curiel | |
| Initial report suggests anti-tank fired from Gaza Strip hit bus driving near Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council; 16-year-old boy critically injured, another man sustains leg wounds. IDF bombs target in Gaza, killing one, according to Palestinians | Full Story |
I hope and pray that they will intercept all of the incoming rockets, but I don’t have any realistic expectation of this to happen, there will be leakers and the leftist media will make it seem as if the system doesn’t work.
I am in awe of isreal. First they come up with the stuxnet virus which may well have been coauthored by them to knock out the Iranian fools and their Russian aides and now this defence system to knock the rockets from the land of Gaza, a Jewish land mentioned in the bible. Jews sometimes are not always smart and do stupid things but generally they are sharp and will come through after much leftie handwringing. Maybe left handwringing has got into their blood somehow.