Uprooted Palestinian: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM – سلام القدس عليكم: ISRAEL DEPLOYS MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS AT BORDER WITH SYRIA

Monday, 12 February 2018

ISRAEL DEPLOYS MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS AT BORDER WITH SYRIA – REPORTS

12.02.2018

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have deployed additional missile defense systems near the border with Syria, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reported on February 12 in an article entitled “PREPARING FOR WAR IN THE NORTH, ISRAEL BOOSTS AIR DEFENSES“.

According to the article, witnesses saw a convoy of missile-defense batteries heading north near the city of Baka al-Gharbiya.

“While the army refused to comment on the reports, witnesses reported seeing a convoy of missile-defense batteries heading north near the Israeli-Arab city of Baka al-Gharbiya. Other witnesses posted photos of several trucks carrying the batteries on central highways in northern Israel.

Israel’s air defenses currently include the Iron Dome, designed to shoot down short-range rockets; the Arrow system, which intercepts ballistic missiles outside of the Earth’s atmosphere; and the David’s Sling missile-defense system, which is designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, medium- to long-range rockets and cruise missiles fired from ranges of between 40 km to 300 km.

Israel also has Patriot-missile batteries stationed in the North and has used them to intercept drones infiltrating into Israeli airspace from Syria. In September, an Iranian-built unmanned aerial vehicle breached the “Bravo line” that marks the Syrian demilitarized zone, and was intercepted by an Israeli Patriot anti-ballistic missile launched from a station near the northern city of Safed.

The first use of the Arrow system was in April when it was launched to intercept three surface-to-air missiles fired toward IAF jets by Syrian-regime air defense,” the article reads.

On February 10, a F-16I of the Israeli Air Force was shot down by a Syrian missile after the warplane had struck alleged Iranian targets at the T4 airbase in the central part of Syria.