Israel Develops a Way to Defend against Missiles with Lasers

Jan. 20 2020

Since the 1990s, the Jewish state has revolutionized anti-missile technology, most notably with the Iron Dome that protects its citizens from rocket onslaughts from the Gaza Strip. It has now, after a decade of work, made another stride in this realm, developing a system that uses lasers to shoot down rockets, guided anti-tank missiles, and similar weapons. Early this month, writes Anna Ahronheim, the Ministry of Defense announced its success in overcoming the problems that have until now stymied the efforts of scientists in Israel and elsewhere to develop such a system:

The breakthrough recently made by the ministry is based on the precision of the laser beam, which can be focused on long-range targets and which can overcome atmospheric disturbances such as clouds and dust storms. . . . [T]he ministry was able to take several laser beams and, with an advanced algorithm, connect them to get one strong beam that is able to intercept and take down a variety of threats. Based on high-energy electric lasers rather than chemical laser technology, the robust system will complement the other layers of Israel’s aerial defenses and will be a strategic change in the defense capabilities of the state, the ministry said.

According to Yaniv Rotem, [head of the Defense Ministry’s directorate of research and development], some of the advantages of the high-energy lasers include the ability to use the system continually at a lower cost and with higher effectiveness. [The lasers] will also decrease the number of missile interceptors necessary and make it possible to intercept a variety of threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, and guided rockets. “During a war, missile interceptors will at one point run out, but with this system, as long as you have electricity, you have a never-ending supply,” he said.

“This is a weapon that you can’t see or hear,” Rotem said, adding that . . . the use of two different and complementary technologies—systems such as the Iron Dome and laser platforms—“is a game-changer.”

Read more at Jerusalem Post

More about: Iron Dome, Israeli Security, Israeli technology

After Taking Steps toward Reconciliation, Turkey Has Again Turned on Israel

“The Israeli government, blinded by Zionist delusions, seizes not only the UN Security Council but all structures whose mission is to protect peace, human rights, freedom of the press, and democracy,” declared the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a speech on Wednesday. Such over-the-top anti-Israel rhetoric has become par for the course from the Turkish head of state since Hamas’s attack on Israel last year, after which relations between Jerusalem and Ankara have been in what Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak describes as “free fall.”

While Erdogan has always treated Israel with a measure of hostility, the past few years had seen steps to reconciliation. Yanarocak explains this sharp change of direction, which is about much more than the situation in Gaza:

The losses at the March 31, 2024 Turkish municipal elections were an unbearable blow for Erdoğan. . . . In retrospect it appears that Erdoğan’s previous willingness to continue trade relations with Israel pushed some of his once-loyal supporters toward other Islamist political parties, such as the New Welfare Party. To counter this trend, Erdoğan halted trade relations, aiming to neutralize one of the key political tools available to his Islamist rivals.

Unsurprisingly, this decision had a negative impact on Turkish [companies] engaged in trade with Israel. To maintain their long-standing trade relationships, these companies found alternative ways to conduct business through intermediary Mediterranean ports.

The government in Ankara also appears to be concerned about the changing balance of power in the region. The weakening of Iran and Hizballah could create an unfavorable situation for the Assad regime in Syria, [empowering Turkish separatists there]. While Ankara is not fond of the mullahs, its core concern remains Iran’s territorial integrity. From Turkey’s perspective, the disintegration of Iran could set a dangerous precedent for secessionists within its own borders.

Read more at Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security

More about: Iran, Israel diplomacy, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey