The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts rockets fired from Gaza, in Netivot, Israel, in October 2023.
Photographer: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images
What Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ Can Learn From Israeli Air Defenses
An exclusive look at what Israel’s upgraded air defense system can (and can’t) do holds lessons for the US as it pushes for a missile shield.
(This story was originally published on April 3. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said a “Golden Dome” should be “fully operational” by the end of his term and could cost $175 billion overall.)
Space became a new frontier in the war in Gaza one month into the conflict, when Houthis fired an Iranian-designed ballistic missile toward the southern tip of Israel. The country’s defenses had about ten minutes from launch to the expected impact in Eilat, over 1,100 miles away.