50949_WKBW_7_Problem_Solvers_658x90.png

Actions

This is how Israel would defend itself against new missile attacks from Iran or others

On Monday, White House officials said it was likely Iran would attack Israel in some fashion this week.
1552600946_nNncXv.jpg
Posted

Tensions between Iran and Israel continue to climb following the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

On Tuesday Iran rejected calls from European nations to refrain from retaliation. It blames Israel for Haniyeh's killing.

Iran also said it would not send delegates to revived cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel.

On Monday, White House officials said it was likely Iran would strike Israel in some fashion this week.

These are some of the ways Israel would defend itself in the event of new strikes.

There's the famous Iron Dome system, which combats short-range rockets and missiles. Its success rate is around 90%. It would primarily address incoming fire from Hezbollah and Lebanon.

For medium- to long-range rockets, Israel deploys the David's Sling system, which it jointly developed with the U.S. It can knock out ballistic and cruise missiles launched from Iran.

RELATED STORY | Amid heightened tensions, US deploys additional military resources to Middle East

To combat longer-range missiles, Israel uses the Arrow system.

This too was jointly developed with the U.S. It takes aim at missiles whose trajectories take them outside Earth's atmosphere.

The Arrow system doesn't need to use explosives. The force of the intercept itself is meant to knock the threat out while it's still high in the sky.

If another large-scale Iranian attack should happen, Israel would also get help from the U.S. in shooting down drones and missiles. Still, even with all these resources standing by, the big concern is that a massive attack overwhelms defenses, Israelis are killed and a wider war is sparked.