US to send two Iron Dome batteries to Israel

The Pentagon plans to send two Iron Dome missile defense systems to Israel as the country continues to shoot down missiles fired at it from the militant group Hamas, a Defense Department official confirmed to The Hill. 

“The U.S. will be flowing additional Iron Dome support to Israel,” the defense official said. “As a result, the Department of Defense is currently engaged in planning to support the provision of U.S. Iron Dome batteries to Israel.” 

The official confirmed that two systems would be sent but would not say under what terms the batteries will be provided or whether they would be returned to the U.S. if undamaged by the end of the war.   

Israel in 2011 first activated Iron Dome, an advanced rocket-defense system that has intercepted thousands of rockets fired from militants within the Gaza Strip. 

Iron Dome has been seen as all the more critical to Israel since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a coordinated land, air and sea attack that killed some 1,400 Israelis. Since then, Hamas has fired 7,000 rockets toward Israel and continues to do so, according to the country’s military.  

The system — made via a partnership between Israeli defense company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and American defense contractor Raytheon — is a series of batteries that uses radar to track inbound rockets and intercept them with missiles.

Up to 20 missiles are fired from three or four launchers attached to the battery, with one such battery defending nearly 60 square miles. As of 2021, Israel had 10 missile batteries placed throughout the country, according to The Associated Press.  

In giving Israel more Iron Domes, the U.S. further increases the amount of security aid it is giving Israel.  

Following the Oct. 7 attacks, the U.S. shipped air defense supplies, artillery rounds, armored vehicles and precision-guided munitions to Israel for its fight against Hamas. 

And Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this past weekend announced that the Pentagon would deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and Patriot air defense battalions to the region. 

In addition, President Biden has pledged continued U.S. support and asked Congress for $14.3 billion for security aid for Israel.  

The two newly promised Iron Dome systems will come from the Army. Congress in 2019 requested that the service purchase the batteries as a way to fill a gap in cruise missile defense while the Army produced a longer-term solution, but it has barely used the two batteries, Defense News reported.