The Israeli government has for the first time deployed its ship-mounted defence system, called the C-Dome, against a suspicious target that came into the airspace near the southern city of Eilat.
The C-Dome is a ship-mounted version of the Iron Dome missile and is deployed to the Navy’s Sa’ar 6-class corvettes. It was declared operational in November 2022.
The Israeli defence forces (IDF) said that the suspected drone had flown into Israeli airspace from the eastern direction and that the Navy tracked the target before successfully shooting it down with the C-Dome system, marking its first operational use. The IDF added that were no reports of damage or injuries
The incident was filmed by beachgoers and showed two interceptor missiles being launched from the Sa’ar 6-class corvette.
The land-based Iron Dome has been used countless times to intercept rockets fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. That defence system costs roughly $50,000 per launch.
Iran-backed groups like the Houthis, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, and a group in Syria linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah have attacked Eilat numerous times since October 7.
Meanwhile, Hamas said that Israel’s proposal that it received from Qatari and Egyptian mediators did not meet any of the demands of Palestinian factions.
The group however added that it would study the proposal, which it described as “intransigent”, and deliver its response to the mediators.
A Hamas official told Reuters on Monday that the group has rejected the Israeli ceasefire proposal made at talks in Cairo, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date was set for an invasion of Rafah, Gaza’s last refuge for displaced Palestinians.
Israel and Hamas sent teams to Egypt on Sunday for talks that included Qatari and Egyptian mediators as well as CIA Director William Burns.
Burn’s presence underlined rising pressure from Israel’s main ally the US for a deal that would free Israeli hostages held in Gaza and get aid to Palestinian civilians left destitute by six months of conflict.
With inputs from Reuters
