Fact Sheets: Israel's Missile Defense
faces a variety of military threats that tests the Israel Defense Forces in its ability to protect civilians from attack. The Jewish State has defended itself no fewer than ten times on the battlefield, each victory reliant on its superiorly trained manpower and qualitative advantage over the enemies.
The proliferation of rockets and ballistic missiles across the Middle East - particularly in Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories - has forced Israel to strengthen a new aspect of its defense doctrine – active anti-missile technology. Given Israel's small size, ballistic missiles represent an existential threat to Israel and it must therefore have an antimissile defense network that provides protection for the entire population. The philosophy of active missile defense - involving the development of advanced anti-missile systems as well as grouping together air, rocket and missile defense capabilities - underpins Israel's defense doctrine, also including early-warning, passive defense and counter-strike capabilities.
The missile threat is not confined to one geographical region or to any one type of rocket. Israel, in collaboration with the United States, has created a multi-layered missile defense apparatus in order to combat the threat and this defense system is considered one of the most advanced in the world.
The IDF began use of an upgraded siren warning system for incoming projectiles in August 2017. Portable warning systems were distributed to areas not covered by existing sirens, and software upgrades to help more specifically pinpoint the areas in danger were implemented as well.
The U.S. government's most recent spending bill, passed in March 2018, includes a record-high $705 million in funding earmarked for Israel's missile defense systems.
