Israel will ask President Joe Biden to deliver an Israeli laser-based air defense system to Arab countries opposed to Iran, an Israeli TV report said Monday.
The Iron Beam system, which uses lasers to super-heat and intercept aerial threats, would be deployed in the UAE and also Saudi Arabia, Channel 12 reported.
The report confirms earlier statements by Biden administration officials who said that the president’s upcoming visit to the region would include talks on “new innovations between our countries that use laser technologies to defeat missiles and other airborne threats.”
The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported a secret summit convened by the U.S. between Israel and several Arab countries, including, notably, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – countries with whom Israel does not have formal relations – had taken place in Sharm el Sheikh earlier this year. The summit’s aim was to forge a regional alliance to combat Iran’s growing missile and drone threat.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz seemed to confirm this.
“We are building our broad partnership with more countries in the region to ensure a secure, stable and prosperous Middle East. Among other things, this also includes aerial defense,” Gantz said on Monday.
He also discussed a potential “breakthrough in our ability to act against Iranian aggression in the region” during the Biden visit.
The laser-powered Iron Beam system, which has already been successful in tests at intercepting missiles, drones, mortars, and anti-tank rockets, will reduce air defense costs significantly because it will mean Israel will rely less on the Iron Dome missile defense system.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has hailed the “game-changing” system, saying it would “bankrupt” Israel’s enemies.
“Until today, it cost us a lot of money to intercept each rocket. Today they [the enemy] can invest tens of thousands of dollars in a rocket and we will invest $2 on the electricity for intercepting that rocket,” Bennett said in a video issued by his office.
“This is a game changer because not only can we strike the enemy militarily, but also financially bankrupt them,” Bennett said.
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