Agence France-Presse, The U.S. has given Israel $155 million to develop an advanced missile interception system, Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s office said Nov. 8 in a statement.
The money, which Congress approved Nov. 7, will help advance the development of a multilayered anti-missile system that Barak presented to his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates in Washington last month, the statement said.
The system, dubbed David’s Sling, is intended to counter projectiles ranging from rudimentary rockets of the sort frequently used by Gaza militants to long-range missiles like those in the arsenal of Israel’s arch-foe, Iran.
Israel has already successfully tested and deployed its Arrow anti-missile system, jointly developed with the U.S., which is said to be able to deflect most missile strikes against the Jewish state.
Widely seen as the region’s sole if undeclared nuclear power, Israel considers Iran its chief enemy after repeated statements from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state should be wiped off the map.
