The Iron Dome battery in Ashkelon. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

JNS.org – The Israeli Defense Ministry completed the deployment of the Iron Dome missile defense system’s ninth battery on Tuesday.

The seventh Iron Dome battery was assembled and deployed at the start of Israel’s ongoing Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. Last Friday, the eighth battery was transferred to the Israeli Air Force several months ahead of schedule. The eighth and ninth batteries have been deployed to deal with rocket fire from Gaza, which has reached further into Israel than ever before.

During Operation Protective Edge so far, the Iron Dome has had a 90-percent interception rate, compared with an 84-percent success rate during Israel’s November 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza.