Israel said Tuesday it has successfully tested a system designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth’s atmosphere.
The Arrow Weapon System is part of an array of missile defenses Israel has developed in recent years to protect itself in any future conflict with archenemy Iran or regional militant groups, such as the Lebanese Hezbollah or the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip, both allies of Iran.
The Defense Ministry said the system detected the target and fired two Arrow 3 interceptors at it, calling the mission a success.
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(צילום: אגף דוברות והסברה, משרד הביטחון) pic.twitter.com/7ZbzTm0Ivr— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) January 18, 2022
“With every step forward, with every development, we equip the state of Israel with the capabilities to defend itself against developing threats,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement. “Our systems provide Israel with the freedom to maneuver strategically.”
The system was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, a state-run defense firm, in cooperation with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
“This test was designed to challenge every element of the Arrow Weapon System, and it performed beautifully,” said Vice Adm. Jon Hill, director of the agency. “MDA remains committed to assisting the government of Israel in upgrading its missile defense capability against current and emerging threats.”
(AP)
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In a wide-ranging and forthright interview with Freddie Sayers, Professor Cyrille Cohen, head of Immunology at Bar Ilan University and a member of the advisory committee for vaccines for the Israeli Government said:
– The Green Pass / vaccine passport concept was no longer relevant in the Omicron era and should be phased out (he expected it to be in short order in Israel)
– He and his colleagues were surprised and disappointed that the vaccines did not prevent transmission, as they had originally hoped
– The biggest mistake of the pandemic in Israel was closing schools and education – he apologised for that
– Widespread infection is now an inevitable part of future immunity — otherwise known as herd immunity
– Omicron has accelerated the pandemic into the endemic phase, in which Covid will be “like flu”