Israel’s Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, says the country will build a new air defense system to protect itself from drone and missile attacks.
Speaking at the annual Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) International Conference in Tel Aviv on February 1, Bennett said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will launch a laser interception system “in about a year”. It will at first be launched experimentally and later it will become operational, starting in the south of the country. “This will allow us, in the medium to long term, to surround Israel with a laser wall that protects us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats. In fact, it will take away the strongest card the enemy has against us,” Bennett said.
“The economic equation will be reversed; they will invest a lot and we will invest a little. 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. The whole thing no longer pays off.
“This new generation of Israeli air defense could also serve our friends in the region who are also exposed to severe threats from Iran and its proxies. This is another way in which we will create assets, use them and give what we have to the world in order to gain support, create alliances and become even stronger.”
On Iran, Bennett said that the “campaign to weaken Iran has begun” and that it is being conducted in multiple fields: nuclear, economic, cyber, overt and covert operations, both by Israel and in collaboration with others.
Read Prime Minister Bennett’s full remarks at the Government of Israel