Israel deploys C-dome defense system for the first time

Israel has deployed for the first time its new mobile missile defense system mounted on a warship and called "C-Dome," to intercept a "suspicious" target that penetrated the country's airspace near the city of Eilat in the far south, according to the Israeli army on Tuesday.

The "C-Dome" system is the maritime version of the Iron Dome air defense system, which protects against rocket and missile attacks.

On Monday evening, the army reported an alert in the Eilat area, which was targeted in February by ballistic missiles launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen but intercepted.

The army said early Tuesday in a statement, "After the alarm sirens sounded in the Eilat area following the infiltration of a hostile flying object, the naval forces identified a suspicious airborne target heading towards Israeli territory."

It added, "The C-Dome defense system successfully intercepted the target," noting that "there were no casualties or damages."

An Israeli army spokesman did not confirm whether the "suspicious" target was a drone but told Agence France-Presse that this was "the first practical use of the C-Dome."

The C-Dome system, installed on board the German-made Sa'ar 6-class warship, uses the same Iron Dome interception system as the ground-based version, according to the government-operated defense systems company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

The ground-based Iron Dome system has been used for over a decade in Israel to intercept rockets launched by Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army has invested in this new technology in recent years, particularly to protect its gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.

Each launch operation from the maritime Iron Dome system is around $50,000.

AFP