What Is Iron Dome, System That Helped Israel Intercept Iranian Missiles?

The short-range Iron Dome air defence system was built to intercept the kind of rockets fired by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza. (Image: News18)

Developed by state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with US backing, it became operational in 2011. (Image: News18)

A naval version of the Iron Dome to protect ships and sea-based assets was deployed in 2017. (Image: News18)

The system quickly determines whether a rocket is on course to hit a populated area; if not, the rocket is ignored and allowed to land harmlessly. (Image: News18)

Iron Dome was originally billed as providing city-sized coverage against rockets with ranges of between 4 and 70 km (2.5 to 43 miles). (Image: News18)