Naval Version of Israel’s Iron Dome Records First Successful Interception in Eilat

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted a suspicious aerial target that entered Israeli airspace near the southernmost city of Eilat shortly before midnight on Monday, marking the first use of its C-Dome defense system, a naval adaptation of the Iron Dome.

This interception was prompted by alerts about hostile aircraft in the area, following reports of missile attacks on Israeli targets by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. Fortunately, no injuries or damage were reported.

The C-Dome system is designed to protect both the ship and the surrounding area from aerial threats, including UAVs, rockets, and cruise missiles. It is deployed on the Israeli Navy’s Sa’ar 6-class corvettes and became operational in November 2022. The IDF's Navy tracked the target before successfully shooting it down with the C-Dome system, marking its first operational use. According to the IDF, the suspected drone had flown into Israeli airspace from the east.

Clips posted on social media showed two interceptor missiles being launched from the Sa’ar 6-class corvette.

Eilat has been targeted several times by Iran-backed groups, including Yemen’s Houthis, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, and a group in Syria linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, since October 7.

In November, a school in Eilat was hit by a drone launched from Syria; in March, a cruise missile fired from Yemen struck an open area north of the city; earlier this month, a drone launched from Iraq struck a Navy hangar in Eilat Bay; and also this month, a drone struck an open area in Jordan near southern Israel’s Ramon Airport.