Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
JERUSALEM (AP) — A joint U.S.-Israeli missile interceptor will be operational soon, completing Israel's multi-layer defense system, a senior Israeli air force official said Monday.
He said David's Sling, meant to counter medium-range missiles possessed by Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, will be operational in early April, marking the completion of the system.
That includes the Arrow, designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles in the stratosphere with an eye on Iran, and Iron Dome, which defends against short-range rockets from Gaza.
The official spoke anonymously in line with protocol.
Israeli deployed its Arrow system Friday when Syria fired a missile at its jets after they carried out airstrikes targeting a weapons convoy bound for Hezbollah.
The official said the missile was identified as a ballistic threat and had a heavy warhead that could have landed inside Israel if not intercepted.
David's Sling was developed by Israeli defense firm Rafael with American defense giant Raytheon.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.