Meet Israel’s new super hero – the Iron Dome

April 11, 2011 - 8:19 AM by David

IDF soldiers stand next to a launcher, part of the Iron Dome rocket shield system.

We’ve all heard of Spiderman and Iron Man. But the newest Israeli super hero isn’t made out of flesh and blood and doesn’t walk on two legs. It’s the Iron Dome – the anti-rocket system which has emerged as a shining star over the last week of missile fire on southern Israel by Hamas in Gaza.

Described by an Ashkelon resident as something “straight out of a science fiction movie,” the counter-rocket defense system over the weekend intercepted 10 Katyusha and Kassam rockets fired by Hamas in the direction of Ashkelon and Beersheba, the two locations where batteries of the short-range missile defense system are stationed. The rockets were literally shot out of the air seconds after they were launched.

As a result of the heroics, the Iron Dome system is just revered and respected in Israel – it’s become a tourist attraction.

According to a story in Haaretz, local Ashkelon children have begun gathering at the battery site to take photos and wait to watch it do its magic.

“Some kid was here with his family and he told us,” says Kobi Buskila, who came to see the Iron Dome with his brothers and some friends. “That is how the word gets around.”

Some of the youths pulled out their cellular telephones and posed with the system, to show their classmates. Haim Gahasi came to see the anti-rocket system with his children. He says they wanted to see it. “It has a calming effect on the children, you would not believe,” he says smiling.

“We brought food and drink. We will stay here an hour, an hour and a half, or until they launch for the first time,” said Neta Kramer, 14. “I wish there was something now, I am dying to see it.”

Even though a tentative cease-fire is taking shape whereby Hamas has agreed to stop firing rockets on Israel and the IDF has agreed to stop air strikes on Gaza in retaliation, it stands to reason that Neta will get her wish sooner than later.

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