What is Iron Dome ?
As the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues along the Gaza border, Israelis have been putting to use an anti-rocket defense system called "Iron Dome" meant to intercept Palestinian rockets that are headed for major population centers. Along with its tally of "terror target" strikes, the Israel Defense Forces' Twitter feed has announced the number of incoming rockets grounded by the system.
It was commissioned by Israel in 2007 following a year in which the country endured thousands of missile attacks, mainly concentrated in the country's northern region.
The Iron Dome was first deployed in March 2011, and it intercepted its first enemy rocket that April.
This week, Iron Dome has been up against the rockets fired by the Qassam Brigades, the military faction of Hamas, the Islamist political party and militant group that has been governing the Gaza Strip separately from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority since 2007.