The Israeli "Iron Dome" is effective when it comes to countering the Palestinian semi-military missiles of the "Qassam" type, the Soviet Grad missiles available to the radicals, as well as mortar or artillery shells. Alexander Mikhailov, director of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, told Izvestia about this on May 12, commenting on rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
"The system itself is, in fact, tactical, short-range, and the height of the "ceiling" of this "dome" is quite low. The system can shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft at medium altitudes, " the military specialist said.
At the same time, modern missiles and missile systems of a serious level, such as those in service with Iran, will be able to break through the Israeli "Iron Dome" without any problems, Alexander Mikhailov stressed.
"This system is for protection from the Palestinian neighbors, but nothing more. And it is not always effective. Recent events have shown an efficiency of 85-90%, " said the director of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis.
In Russia, short-range Tor-M2 anti-aircraft systems are used for such threats in limited areas of space. These anti-aircraft missile systems, according to their combat capabilities, have shown themselves most successfully in Syria against similar means of destruction, Mikhailov concluded.
Rocket attacks have been exchanged between Israel and the Gaza Strip in recent days. The aggravation of the situation followed the riots that occurred in early May at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces were also triggered by the decision of an Israeli court to seize houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from Arab families living there in favor of Jewish settlers on the grounds that the housing belonged to them until 1948.
In Israel, as a result of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, five people were killed and more than 200 were injured. Since the beginning of the escalation of the conflict, more than 1 thousand rockets have been fired at Israel. The number of victims of the Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip has reached 43 people, including 13 children and three women.
On May 12, it was reported that Tel Aviv was again subjected to massive rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Explosions could be heard in the sky above the city. It was noted that the intelligence system of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas fired about 210 rockets at Israel.
Israel also continued to launch retaliatory strikes against key military targets in the Gaza Strip on the night of May 12. Representatives of the Israel Defense Forces reported that during the attack of Israeli fighter jets, key individuals of the intelligence system of the Palestinian radical movement Hamas were eliminated.
