Israel Approves Air Defense Plan amid 'Growing Threats' from Hizbullah, Iran

An Israeli ministerial committee has approved a laser air defense system to protect Israel against rockets and UAVs.

“We are taking an important step towards a change in the battlefield, amid the growing threats on our border from Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, under the auspices of Iran and terror organizations,” Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, last week.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had announced that his group now possesses the ability to transform its ordinary rockets into precision-guided missiles, adding that Hizbullah has also been manufacturing drones for several years now.

Hizbullah is believed to maintain 130,000 rockets, missiles and mortar shells while Israel operates a multi-tiered air defense array, made up of the short-range Iron Dome, the medium-range David’s Sling and the long-range Arrow and Patriot systems.

Meanwhile, the Times of Israel online newspaper said that Israeli military officials have also seen a growing trend in Iranian use of drone attacks in recent years, dubbing it Iran’s “UAV terror.”