Israel's Iron Dome intercepts missiles launched from the Gaza Strip on October 11, 2023, which it had failed to do four days earlier. EPA
Israel's Iron Dome intercepts missiles launched from the Gaza Strip on October 11, 2023, which it had failed to do four days earlier. EPA
Israel's Iron Dome intercepts missiles launched from the Gaza Strip on October 11, 2023, which it had failed to do four days earlier. EPA
Israel's Iron Dome intercepts missiles launched from the Gaza Strip on October 11, 2023, which it had failed to do four days earlier. EPA

Israel’s Iron Dome system overwhelmed on October 7, inquiry reveals


Robert Tollast
  • English
  • Arabic

New details have come to light on the failure of Israel’s Iron Dome defence system during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

According to an Israeli military inquiry, details of which were reported to Israel's Channel 12 news, about half of 3,700 rockets fired by Hamas in the first four hours of the offensive made it past the defensive system.

While the failure was previously thought to be technical, a major problem was replenishing the interceptor missiles used by the system, according to the report.

In previous conflicts, the Iron Dome, which has a range of up to 70km and is used primarily to shoot down unguided rockets, which often have a shorter range, was thought to be 90 per cent effective.

During exchanges of fire in the summer of 2021, the system is thought to have shot down 735 of 800 rockets and mortar shells it identified as threatening populated areas, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank found.

Rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza, meanwhile, are typically inaccurate – about 4,500 were fired in the same period and the Iron Dome is designed to ignore those heading for open, less-populated areas. It makes these calculations in seconds and the system as a whole, including radar and a "fire control" computer, is claimed to be able to assess more than 1,000 airborne targets at once.

But experts say a sudden “saturation” attack of thousands of projectiles could overwhelm the system by exhausting interceptors rapidly. One Israeli security expert previously told The National this was one reason why the Israeli military had dedicated much of its planning and intelligence capacity to countering Hezbollah in Lebanon, which had a far bigger arsenal of rockets than Hamas.

This lack of attention to Gaza, which aided Hamas's October 7 plans and meant the "most successful attack" on Israel came from the enclave, rather than Lebanon, where Hezbollah was thought to possess five times more rockets (up to 150,000) than Hamas.

Each Iron Dome battery can fire about 20 Tamir interceptors before it needs reloading. This was the critical shortfall, the Israeli inquiry found, because during the Hamas-led invasion, army units could not safely resupply the system and some forces were ambushed while trying to do so.

About 1,200 people were killed on October 7, with 21 villages were captured and an estimated 250 taken hostage. The incursion, thought to have involved between 2,000 and 4,000 fighters from Hamas and allied groups, was intended to hold territory, which led to a series of bloody battles within Israel.

Previous inquiries found that Israel’s initial ground response was highly disorganised. Hamas succeeded in destroying military communication relay sites, while the shock of the assault led to ad hoc groups of security forces intervening without proper planning. Hamas fighters were eventually pushed out of Israel within about three days of the initial attack.

Israel responded by dropping about 6,000 bombs on Gaza within a week. More than 47,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed in Israeli bombardment and ground operations before a ceasefire began on January 19.

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

THE SPECS

Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury

Engine:  3.6L V-6

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 310hp

Torque: 367Nm

Price: Dh280,000

If you go

The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.


The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.


The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.

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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Match info

Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')

Southampton 0

The schedule

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

SPEC SHEET

Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD  dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz

Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core

Memory: 8/12GB RAM

Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB

Platform: Android 12

Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW

Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps

Front camera: 40MP f/2.2

Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare

Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC

I/O: USB-C

SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano

Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red

Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410

Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000

Engine 3.5L V6

Transmission Six-speed manual

Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm

Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km

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How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
LOVE%20AGAIN
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: February 04, 2025, 11:40 AM