Israel rushes Iron Dome interceptor into service in Tel AvivNovember 17, 2012 - 16:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Israeli military rushed a fifth Iron Dome anti-missile battery into service on Saturday, November 17 and deployed it in the Tel Aviv area, the army said, underscoring concerns over the range of Palestinian rockets. Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip have fired three rockets at Tel Aviv in the past 48 hours. No one was injured and no damage was reported, but the fact that Israel's commercial capital is in the firing line has alarmed many Israelis. The fifth Iron Dome was not scheduled to come into service until early 2013. The four other batteries are all deployed much further to the south, close to the Gaza border. An army spokeswoman said that since the start of an Israeli offensive against militants in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Iron Dome has intercepted at least 222 incoming rockets -- a 90 percent success rate. The missiles are only fired when the system calculates that the incoming rocket might hit a built-up area. Iron Dome's manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, says it provides protection against incoming hostile rockets with ranges of between 5 km (3 miles) and 70 km (42 miles), as well as mortar bombs. Iron Dome was first deployed in April 2011 when it was fielded outside the southern city of Beersheba and shot down its first real Gazan rocket. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. |