Israeli PM: Iron Dome too pricey, lasers next for defense

Israel's prime minister says the country is speeding up the rollout of a “new generation” of missile defense technology to help protect the country from rocket attacks

TEL AVIV, Israel -- Israel’s prime minister on Tuesday acknowledged that its Iron Dome defense system is too expensive and the country is speeding the rollout of laser technology to help protect it from rocket attacks.

Naftali Bennett told a security conference that the new generation of technology -- a “laser wall” -- will be unveiled within a year in southern Israel. Little is known about the system's effectiveness, but the system eventually is expected to be deployed on land, in the air and at sea and send a deterrent message to archenemy Iran and its proxies.

“If we can intercept a missile or rocket with an electrical pulse that costs a few dollars, we will essentially neutralize the ring of fire that Iran has set up,” Bennett told the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University. “This new generation of air defense can also serve our friends in the region.”

Israel unveiled the Iron Dome a decade ago, and the military says it has been a great success, with a 90% interception rate against incoming rocket fire during four wars against militants in the Gaza Strip.