(IBD) Israel's Iron Dome A Missile Defense Success as Obama gets "flexible" with Russia

[Daniel John Sobieski]

Security: As Hamas launches rockets toward Israeli population centers,  Tel Aviv's investment in missile defense passes its acid test, destroying the  vast majority. The U.S., meanwhile, is moving in just the opposite  direction.

On Sunday, Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system successfully shot down  two Iranian-made Fajr-5 rockets aimed at the heart of Tel-Aviv by Hamas' armed  wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. It was just one of many such  interceptions by what is now the world's only battle-tested missile defense  system.

The "Fajr" (Dawn) series are mobile-launched, unguided, solid-fuel artillery  rockets developed by Iran during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war with the likely help  of Russia and China. It is believed that in 2001 Iran first supplied Fajr-5  rockets to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. And now Hamas has them.

The Israeli Defense Ministry deployed an upgraded Iron Dome missile battery  in the Gush Dan area in central Israel on Saturday morning. Roughly equivalent  to the U.S. Patriot missile defense system, the battery is the fifth Iron Dome  system operational in Israel.

In total, Palestinians fired 740 rockets toward the Jewish state in the first  few days of Operation Pillar of Defense, which began last Wednesday. They ranged  from the Fajr-5 to the unsophisticated Katyusha rockets, but only around 30 of  those landed in built-up areas.

Iron Dome intercepted 245 projectiles in all, maintaining a 90% intercept  rate. Only 27 of the rockets, about 4%, landed in urban areas. Iron Dome  batteries are not deployed in every area where rockets have been fired and don't  try to intercept those headed for open areas.

Read More At IBD:  http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/111912-634045-israel-iron-...