Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

JNS.org – Amid concerns of a possible escalation of hostilities along Israel’s northern border, an Iron Dome anti-missile system battery has been deployed in the area.

The battery was positioned near Haifa to defend against possible threats from Lebanon and Syria, Israel’s Channel 2 reported Tuesday. According the IDF Spokesperson’s Office, “The system is deployed in accordance with situational assessments and need.”

A senior Israeli defense official recently warned that the Iron Dome system would be unable to fully protect Israel against a massive rocket attack by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which is based in southern Lebanon.

“Ben-Gurion International Airport would have to be shut down from early on in the fighting against Hezbollah. Iron Dome won’t be able to duplicate its interception rate from Operation Protective Edge,” the official said, according to Israel Hayom.

The Iron Dome was designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells fired from distances of 2.5 to 43 miles. Hezbollah’s arsenal is believed to number some 100,000 missiles, including surface-to-air and surface-to-sea missiles, whose range could cover all of Israel.