On April 14, Israeli leaders said that Israel’s new laser missile-defense system, called the Iron Beam, effectively intercepted mortars, rockets and anti-tank missiles in recent tests. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that the system’s “interceptions are silent, they’re invisible and they [the interceptions] only cost around $3.50” each. In comparison, each interception using Israel’s Iron Dome defense system costs tens of thousands of dollars, according to Bennett. The Iron Beam is meant to supplement—not replace—Israel’s other missile defense systems.
