Iron Dome Anti-Missile Batteries Intercept Missiles at Sea

JERUSALEM, Israel – A ship-based Iron Dome anti-missile battery successfully intercepted three rockets fired from the shore.

The Iron Dome is the same anti-missile system that protected Israeli lives and property during the IDF's military incursion into the Gaza Strip two summers ago, YNet news reported.  

They tracked, intercepted and blew up three unarmed Grad missile fired at the ship from shore.

According to the report, tracking and intercepting an incoming missile from a ship being tossed by waves is not the same as from land.

The successful test means four new warships being manufactured for Israel in Germany will have built-in Iron Dome batteries. The family of warships, called Sa'ar 6 class Corvettes, will protect Israel's offshore oil and gas reserves from rocket attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas.

When Israel discovered the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields of the northern port city of Haifa, Lebanon argued that the reserves were in its territory. Hezbollah threatened to attack Israel's offshore oil rigs.

At the time, the IDF's navy intelligence chief, Brig.-Gen. Yaron Levi, warned that Hezbollah has Iranian-made surface-to-sea missiles capable of targeting all of Israel's ports and maritime infrastructure, including pipelines to Israel.

Levi said terror groups in the Gaza Strip were following Hezbollah's model.