Hamas Overwhelms Israeli Iron Dome with Salvo Rocket Barrage: Reports

Hamas overwhelmed Israel's supposedly "impenetrable" Iron Dome air defense system by discovering its weakness, firing hundreds of rockets in a very short time span.

Over 5,000 rockets were launched toward Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in just 20 minutes after the declaration of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, as per Israeli media.

The Iron Dome is a short-range air defense system used in Israel to intercept rockets, mortars, artillery shells, and drones. It boasts a range of 70 km and consists of three main components: Detection and Tracking radar, Battle Management and Weapons Control, and a Missile Launcher equipped with 20 Tamir Missiles.

When a rocket is launched at Israel, the radar detects its trajectory and sends data to the weapons control system. This system rapidly calculates the rocket's path, speed, and likely target. If the rocket poses a threat to a populated area or a strategic site, the launcher automatically fires a Tamir Missile, destroying the rocket mid-air to eliminate the threat.

Israel has a minimum of 10 Iron Dome batteries, each equipped with three to four launchers. The system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, boasts a 90% success rate and has intercepted over 2,000 threats to date.

The Iron Dome faced a significant challenge when Hamas launched a barrage of rockets. For years, Hamas had been attempting to identify weaknesses in the Iron Dome system, and they achieved some success by overwhelming it with a salvo rocket attack, launching multiple rockets in a short period. In this instance, they fired over 5,000 rockets in just 20 minutes.

Hamas has continuously improved its basic rocket technology, extending its range to encompass major Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and even Jerusalem. It's worth noting that a Hamas rocket is much less expensive than the Tamir missile used to intercept it. Israel considers the value of the Iron Dome to extend beyond cost analysis because it has demonstrated its ability to neutralize threats and save lives.

During the 2012 conflict with Hamas, Israel claimed an 85% success rate in countering the 400 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip toward civilian and strategic areas. In the 2014 conflict, Hamas launched over 4,500 rockets over several days, with more than 800 being intercepted and around 735 shot down, achieving a 90% success rate.

In 2021, Israel announced upgrades to the system to handle additional aerial threats, including successful interceptions of rocket and missile salvos and simultaneous interceptions of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles. In the May 2021 Israel-Palestine conflict, which lasted two weeks, over 1,000 rockets were fired initially and over 4,500 during the entire conflict. Officials reported a 90% success rate for the system in intercepting rockets during the crisis.