12/5/2023–|Last updated: 12/5/202310:08 PM (Mecca Time)
An Israeli news report said that the “David’s Sling” anti-missile system cost the occupation one million dollars to intercept a Palestinian missile at hundreds of dollars.
The Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, stated that “each interceptor missile from the David’s Sling system costs one million US dollars,” noting that the cost of the system “reaches 345 million US dollars.”
On the other hand, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority (official) indicated that “the cost of one objection using the Iron Dome system is 100,000 shekels ($27,000).”
Numerous previous reports indicated that the locally made rockets fired from Gaza cost hundreds several dollars per missile.
The Israeli-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Company and the American Raytheon Company developed the “David’s Sling” or “magic wand” system to intercept medium and long-range missiles.
For the second time in two days, the Israeli occupation army used, today, Friday, the “David’s Sling” anti-missile system, to intercept a home-made Palestinian missile south of Jerusalem that was launched from Gaza.
The occupation army said in a statement: “Two rockets fired from Gaza were detected, one of which was intercepted by the David’s Sling system and the second by the Iron Dome,” and added in a tweet on Twitter: “Alarm sirens were sounded in the area surrounding Jerusalem.”
This is the second time that the “David’s Sling” system has ever been used, after it was used, last Wednesday, to intercept a missile in the Tel Aviv area.
The Hebrew newspaper “Haaretz” said that Palestinian missiles were fired at the “Gush Etzion” settlement bloc, south of Jerusalem.
--Israel uses the “Iron Dome” system to intercept locally made Palestinian rockets launched from Gaza, which are short-range missiles, while the “David’s Sling” system is designed to intercept ballistic, long-range and cruise missiles.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said, “The David’s Sling system was introduced into the Air Force’s defense system in 2016, and a year later it was announced to be operational, but until Wednesday, it was activated only once in operational activity.”
And she added, “David’s Sling is not mobile like Iron Dome, but it is fixed like the Arrow system,” which is another system Israel has to intercept long-range missiles.
Earlier today, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement, published a video clip titled “Your Sling Will Not Help You,” which included a number of rockets directed at Israeli settlements.
The video clips published by the Military Information Department of the Jihad Movement included pictures of the preparation of the “Buraq 85” missile, which weighs 40 kilograms and has an orbit of 58 kilometers.
First time
And last Wednesday, it was the first time that this Israeli-American system was used to intercept a home-made Palestinian missile fired from Gaza towards Tel Aviv.
The occupation army said at the time in a statement: “The army carried out the first operational interception of the David’s Sling missile system over the Greater Tel Aviv area.”
He stated that “the David’s Sling system is designed to intercept advanced threats, including ballistic and cruise missiles, drones and aerial parts, and it was developed by the Directorate of Weapons Development at the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense.”
Its operation on Wednesday was the first successful operational use of the system, after failed attempts in 2018 to intercept missiles launched from Syria, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
