In the face of continued rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Israel will
deploy a fourth battery of the Iron Dome rocket defense system in the
coming weeks. Israel Air Force Col. Tzvika Haimovitch said that the
system was demonstrating impressive results and "was being stretched
to the max." The IDF is hoping to secure funding from the government
for the continued production and delivery of additional Iron Dome
batteries and interceptors. Defense officials have said that Israel
requires at least 13 batteries to effectively protect itself against
rockets fired from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.