If They Raise Their Hand Against Israel Again, That Hand Will Be Cut Off: Defense Minister

The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, has warned the country's adversaries to refrain from testing Tel Aviv's 'decisive' defense capabilities and confirmed that the Iron Beam laser interception system is nearly ready for operation. This was stated by the minister during a visit to the Rafael defense technology company, as reported by the Times of Israel.

“Our enemies must know and understand clearly that we have numerous means to strike decisively. If they raise their hand against Israel again, that hand will be cut off,” Katz declared during a tour of Rafael's facilities with company executives and senior officials from the defense ministry.

According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, the Iron Beam advanced technology, which uses lasers to intercept missiles and drones at a fraction of the cost of the Iron Dome, will be operational by the end of this year. “The laser system is the weapon of the future, capable of neutralizing a broad range of threats... with remarkable and continually improving results. Israeli citizens need such protection,” he added.

The Iron Beam is not intended to replace the Iron Dome or other Israeli air defense systems but to complement them, intercepting smaller projectiles and leaving larger ones for more powerful missile batteries like David's Sling,” he explained.

According to the defense ministry, the ammunition for the Iron Beam never runs out as long as there is a power source available.