# Iron Dome's First Interception (7 April 2011)

URL: https://allhistories.com/israel/timeline/2011-iron-dome-s-first-interception
Themes: Key Events

On 7 April 2011 the Iron Dome air-defence system intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip for the first time. The system had been declared operational and deployed near Beersheba on 27 March 2011. Iron Dome was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems together with Israel Aerospace Industries after Defence Minister Amir Peretz selected it in February 2007 as Israel's answer to short-range rockets from Gaza and Lebanon. Each battery combines a radar, a battle-management centre and launchers firing Tamir interceptor missiles, and is designed to engage only rockets heading for populated areas. The first batteries were funded by Israel; the United States later contributed about $1.6 billion between 2011 and 2021. In subsequent conflicts the system intercepted hundreds of rockets: about 421 during the November 2012 Gaza fighting and more than 735 in 2014, according to Israeli figures. By reducing casualties and damage in Israeli towns, it altered the calculations of both Israel and armed groups in Gaza during later rounds of fighting.

## Why it matters
Iron Dome became a central element of Israel's home-front protection and a model for short-range missile defence worldwide.

Ruler at the Time: [Shimon Peres](https://allhistories.com/israel/rulers/shimon-peres)

Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Iron Dome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Dome)
- [Wikipedia — Rafael Advanced Defense Systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Advanced_Defense_Systems)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Iron Dome](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Iron+Dome)