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Israel's Missile Shield Aces First Serious Test

(AP-Boston Globe) Ibrahim Barzak - After four days of fighting between Israel's air force and Gaza rocket squads, Israel's Iron Dome rocket shield has aced its first serious test. Hamas rulers in Gaza have been careful to stay on the sidelines. And Islamic Jihad - now closer to Iran than Hamas - is taking the lead in this round against Israel. 24 Palestinians have been killed and a million Israelis in rocket range have seen their lives disrupted by the threat of rocket attacks, with frequent sirens warning them to run for cover. Missile analysts praised the performance of Iron Dome, an Israeli-made system designed to shoot down short-range rockets like those fired from Gaza. Iron Dome tracks incoming rockets and intercepts only those that would pose a threat to people and property, ignoring those that are expected to fall in open areas. The military said it tried to intercept 63 rockets and succeeded in all but nine of those attempts. No Israelis have been killed in the fighting, and property damage has been relatively minor. Uzi Rubin, a missile analyst and former Defense Ministry official, said Iron Dome has exceeded expectations.
2012-03-14 00:00:00
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