Israel moves closer to Iron Dome missile defense system: report

JERUSALEM, Aug. 24 -- Israel moved closer to the Iron Dome after the Israel Air Force (IAF) set up a new battalion for operating the short-range missile defense system, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported Monday.

The Iron Dome, developed by state-owned company of Rafael Defense Systems, will become operational in mid-2010 and will be capable of intercepting short-range Qassam and Katyusha rockets fired by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the report quoted IAF officers as saying.

The new battalion is part of the IAF's air defense troops and the soldiers were chosen from IAF's existing Air Defense Division units.

The commander is Lieutenant Colonel Shabtai Ben-Boher who until recently served as commander of a Patriot Missile Battalion, said the report.

Officers from the battalion have already started training with the Iron Dome system, which is conducted with computer simulators and is currently focusing on the Iron Dome's command-and-control systems, the new radar system and the missile launcher.

In a series of tests conducted by Israeli Defense Ministry in July, the Iron Dome successfully intercepted a number of rockets that mimicked Qassam and Katyusha rockets

The first battery to be deployed along the Gaza border will consist of four launchers, each of which has 20 missiles, said the report.

After Gaza border, the Israeli army will begin deploying the system along the border with Lebanon.