Israel’s Iron Dome Missile System Triggers False Alarm In Golan

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is investigation the false attack alarm triggered by the country’s Iron Dome missile defense system in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights on the border with Syria.

The Israeli military stated that it was a false alarm that triggered missile sirens in the Golan Heights, denying reports that the system had intercepted a drone.

“An Iron Dome [battery] was activated. The circumstances are being investigated. It should be stressed that the reports of a drone being identified and intercepted are false,” the military said in a statement.

Iron Dome began operating in Israel in 2011. The systems achieved international fame during the country’s 2012 and 2014 Gaza Strip conflicts. The missile reportedly started operating in Golan three months back and has been involved in retaliations against Iranian forces in Syria.

Tensions along Israel’s northern borders escalated following a fierce exchange between Iranian and Israeli forces in Syria in the predawn hours of May 10. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ al-Quds Force launched approximately 20 rockets at military bases in northern Israel. Four of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the other 16 fell short of the border.

In response, the Israeli Air Force conducted strikes against over 50 Iranian military targets in Syria and destroyed several Syrian air defense systems that had fired on Israeli jets, the army had said.