According to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the IDF will implement a laser-based system for intercepting missiles and drones within a year, initially experimentally and later operationally. Bennett was speaking at the National Security Studies (INSS)15th annual conference.
The Laser Wall defensive system technology will be initially installed in southern Israel and then expanded. Bennett stated that the system will shield Israel from missiles, rockets, drones, and other dangers, and depriving the adversary of his best card against us.
“The equation will be reversed – they will invest a lot, and we will invest little,” the Prime Minister said. “If a missile or rocket can be intercepted with a pulse of electricity that costs a few dollars, we essentially nullify the ring of fire that Iran has established on our borders,”
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Bennett added that Israel would share the system with neighboring countries. “This new generation of Israeli aerial defense can also serve our friends in the region, who are also exposed to severe threats from Iran and its proxies,” he said.
Brigadier General Eyal Harel, the IDF’s head of planning, stated in a recent interview with “Globes” that trials of the system would begin soon, but it would be at least two years before it became operational.
Iran
On the subject of Iran, Bennett stated that Israel hoped that Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the US and European countries would end in failure
“The campaign to weaken Iran has begun. This campaign is being conducted in multiple fields: nuclear, economic, cyber, overt and covert operations, both by ourselves and in collaboration with others,” he said.
“The basic principle remains the same. The missile may have been launched from Beirut or from Gaza but the address is Tehran. The weaker Tehran is, the weaker its affiliates are. The hungrier the octopus is, the less reach it has with its tentacles. Then on our border, we encounter something much weaker. The logic is clear.
On the other hand, the removal of sanctions and the flood of billions of dollars for this regime means more rockets, more UAVs, more terrorist cells, more cyberattacks, and malign activities. Not only against us but also against our American allies in the region and other allies.
We are following the nuclear talks in Vienna and we hope that they conclude without an agreement. But even with an agreement, our assessment is that the Iranians will continue to be Iranians. We already see it now. While Iranian foreign ministry officials are negotiating in Vienna with the superpowers, the Revolutionary Guard is behaving like the neighborhood bully and attacking the UAE and other places. This is the definition of negotiation under fire. This is blackmail.
If an agreement is signed, and the flow of dollars is renewed, we know that their aggressive behavior will only intensify. The Iranians will remain Iranians. We in Israel are ready. We will continue to confront them in every way. No agreement will tie our hands and prevent us from acting in our defense.”
The US
Bennett said that the United States was and would remain our best friend. “But Washington’s interest is currently focused on the Ukraine-Russia border, and it is in strategic conflict with China. “Washington has its own web of interests, which, it must be candidly acknowledged, don’t always coincide with ours.”
The new government
“When we created this government little over seven months ago, our gut instinct was that we needed to put an end to the hemorrhage and save Israel from itself. That was our compass. Since then, we’ve implemented a number of measures to help steady the ship. We enacted a budget and reactivated ministries’ functions following months of paralysis and neglect.”
The prime minister reiterated that the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic must be waged without resorting to lockdowns since crippling the Israeli economy was not an option.
“The State of Israel needs a very strong economy. GDP should reach a trillion dollars, high-tech shouldn’t be 12% of GDP but double that. The economy needs to remain open and functioning, even in a pandemic-stricken decade like the one we are living through. Democracy must remain stable and society strong, with mutual responsibility. The standard of living has to rise and prices have to fall. A wealthy, prosperous country can devote a substantial part of its revenue to building its military capability. Not military bureaucracy, but capabilities that open up a huge gap between Israel and the rest. The stronger we are, the more we deter. That way, the likelihood that we shall have to use our strength reduces.”
Bennett said that the government was creating the groundwork for another economic leap forward by eliminating bureaucracy, promoting competition, and integrating the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox Jewish) community into the labor force, “something no administration has had the fortitude to undertake in twenty years.”
About living expenses, the prime minister said: “Israel’s economy needs increased competition and decreased bureaucracy. Israel’s high costs are not a matter of fate.”
