Israel's Iron Dome may not withstand a new war against Hezbollah terrorists

In the event of a full-scale war with Hezbollah, they could hit at least some of Israel's Iron Dome batteries, and the air defence systems could be overwhelmed.

Here's What We Know

According to three unnamed US officials quoted by CNN, the US has shared with Israel its concerns that air defences in the northern part of the country, including the Iron Dome system, could be vulnerable to Hezbollah's huge arsenal of rockets and drones.

It is worth noting that the Iron Dome is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems available today. Two US officials told the newspaper that Israeli officials have expressed similar concerns: they believe that the Iron Dome could be vulnerable, especially in the north.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging strikes on the border with Lebanon since the 7 October Hamas attacks, and the militants have, interestingly, sometimes struck Israeli military targets.

On Thursday, Hezbollah said it had fired dozens of rockets at the Israeli military base in Zarit. The Iranian-backed militants also fired more than 200 rockets into Israel last week. Importantly, Hezbollah claimed to have hit Israel's Iron Dome air defence system in Ramot Naftali with a guided missile in June.

According to Israel, over the past 12 years, the Iron Dome system has intercepted targets approximately 90% of the time. But the Hamas attacks on 7 October raised many questions as to why the system failed to protect the skies. At the time, Hamas claimed to have fired 5,000 rockets at Israel in just 20 minutes.

Source: CNN