Khaberni - The Israeli Ministry of Defense signed, on Thursday, a multi-billion dollar contract with the local company "Rafael" to expand the production of the "Iron Dome" air defense system.
The Ministry of Defense said in a statement that its Director General, Major General (Res.) Amir Bar'am, had signed a supply contract that expands the production of the Iron Dome defense system.
The statement noted that under the contract, Rafael will deliver a large number of Iron Dome interceptor missiles to the Israeli Missile Defense Organization and the army.
The ministry mentioned that the $8.7 billion American aid package, approved by Congress in April 2024, includes $5.2 billion to enhance Israeli air defense systems, including the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and the high-power laser defense system, which is currently in its final stages of development.
It did not specify the Iron Dome system's share of this amount, stating only that the contract signed on Thursday was worth billions of dollars.
Defense Minister Yisra'el Katz, according to the statement, said the contract represents a "strategic leap that will enhance our air defense capabilities against adversaries.. It is also further evidence of the depth and strength of our alliance with the United States, and of the close cooperation between our two countries."
Israel has several missile defense systems including the "Iron Dome" for short and medium-range missiles, David's Sling, and Arrow for long-range missiles.
During the genocide campaign on the Gaza Strip, which lasted two years, Israel used large quantities of defense systems, including the Iron Dome, to counter rockets fired from Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran, though many failures of these systems were recorded.
A ceasefire agreement on October 10, 2023, halted a genocide initiated by Israel in Gaza on October 8, 2023, with American support, and lasted for two years, leaving more than 69,000 Palestinian martyrs, over 170,000 wounded, and massive destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure.
Tel Aviv often boasts about the "Iron Dome," a joint Israeli-American project, in its capability to intercept short and medium-range missiles, yet the system failed to protect Israel's airspace on several occasions, one being during the war on Iran in June last year.
In February last year, an internal investigation by the Israeli army revealed the collapse of the missile defense system in the early hours of the attack on October 7, 2023.
On that day, major Palestinian factions, including Hamas, carried out a surprise attack on Israeli settlements and military bases, resulting in the killing and capture of soldiers and settlers and their containment in the sector, in response to the occupation's assaults on the Palestinian people and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
