Israel’s defence systems leave it open to attack

Regardless of the side that carried out the missile attack on the area surrounding the Dimona nuclear reactor, south of Israel, be it Iran, Syria, or another party, the bombing continues to spark criticism in the occupation state following the defence system’s failure to intercept the missile, while raising a questions about the deficiencies of the country’s military capabilities.

The attack on the vicinity of the Dimona reactor in the Negev desert revealed the significance of missile threats facing Israel, as tens of thousands of short, medium and long-range missiles may drop 500 tonnes of explosive materials at every point in Israel if launched at the same time, i.e. a bombing power that equals an attack of 120 combat aircrafts simultaneously.

At the same time, the Dimona attack has revealed the most prominent weakness affecting the Israeli defence system; the Iron Dome system, which used to intercept missiles at a high level of precision, was not effective.

The attack sparked concern in Israel as it coincided with fears of cruise missile strikes from Iraq in the east or Yemen in the south, fears that prompted Israel to undergone a major upgrade that allows it to counter precision missiles launched by low-altitude drones.

The recent confrontations in the Gaza Strip on the southern front, and the escalating tensions on the northern front with Syria and Iran expose the defects of the Israeli defence systems. These events show that Israel has not managed to prepare itself for imminent threats.

READ: Iran: Missile strike near Dimona reactor is message to Israel

All of these potential attacks are meant to destroy only one target in Israel which is the internal front; otherwise, who would believe that a modest Palestinian resistance in Gaza could paralyze half of the occupation’s capabilities, without mentioning the possibility of a Hezbollah intervention that would introduce heavier and stronger missiles and silence Tel Aviv with firing 1,500-2,000 rockets at a daily basis.

Israelis no longer question the fact that their internal front is not well prepared for possible simultaneous attacks from Hezbollah, the Qassam Brigades in Gaza and Iran through Syria. Such an event would leave the occupation state unable to protect itself.

As resistance factions have hundreds of rockets at their disposal, Israel’s defence systems are costly and would leave it in need of billions of dollars in order to face such an assault.

Despite the Iron Dome’s relative success in the recent confrontations with Palestinian factions in Gaza, it cannot be relied upon when facing Lebanon, Syria or Iran. Indeed, the Iron Dome is a “dome that does not cover the entire head,” that is why Palestinians call it the “silk dome”.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.