4 Reasons Why Israel’s Iron Dome Was Replaced by Iron Beam, One of Them Is That It’s More Effective at Destroying Drones

GAZA – Israel has yet to operationalize its pioneering Iron Beam high-energy laser weapon system ahead of schedule, despite the high possibility of a full-scale war on its northern border with Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

The Israeli Defense and Industry Ministries are doing everything they can to expedite the deployment of Iron Beam. According to Newsweek, the end of 2025 is still the earliest time for the first air defense system of its kind to be deployed. This timeline has long been in place.

4 Reasons Why Israel’s Iron Dome Was Replaced by Iron Beam, One of Them Is That It’s More Effective at Destroying Drones

1. The Threat of Attacks by Iran and its Proxies

Photo/Israeli Ministry of Defense

Gideon Weiss, head of international marketing and business development for Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, said there had been no change to the timeline since October, with Iron Beam still expected to be operational by the end of next year.

Israel, which has now been at war in Gaza for nearly nine months following an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel on October 7, is also facing Hezbollah pushing from southern Lebanon into towns and villages in northern Israel.

The Tehran-backed group said it fired drones, rockets and missiles into northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas after Israel vowed to eradicate the group from the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations has vowed a “devastating war,” if an Israeli operation into Lebanon actually begins.

2. Effectively Destroy Drones

Photo/Israeli Ministry of Defense

Israeli officials say its forces are winding down operations in Gaza, with attention increasingly turning to the Lebanese border. Tentative plans for a full-scale Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have been given the green light, the Israeli military said.

But US officials told CNN that Washington is deeply concerned that Israel’s air defenses in the north could be overwhelmed by Hezbollah, if a full-scale war were to break out on Israel’s northern border.

Additional air defense assets, capable of destroying Hezbollah drones or mortars, could provide Israel with extra protection, should its current range of air defense systems be overwhelmed.

Israel’s Defense Ministry told Newsweek that the government, together with Israeli industry, is making “its best efforts to expedite solutions relevant to the current conflict, tailored to the demands of combat and battlefield conditions.”