Israeli security forces have showcased a laser system that they hope will help them deal with dangerous devices launched from the Gaza Strip with the help of balloons, kites and drones, a local TV station reported. According to Channel 12, the weapon, dubbed Light Blade, is capable of shooting dangerous objects out of the sky before they can reach Israeli territory. It has a range of 1.6 kilometres and can operate both day and night.
Hamas adopted a strategy of launching flying objects carrying explosives or arson devices last year amid a series of protests along the Gaza Strip’s border demanding that Israel allow Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to territories that they were displaced from. Simple and cheap, this method has proven to be effective, as fires started by balloons, kites, and drones have scorched large swathes of land.
Israeli authorities have tried to find a solution to the problem and ordered the development of a weapon that would prevent objects getting into Israel’s territory; however, over the past two years, none of the systems that were developed were 100 percent effective.
The report said that the new laser system, which costs around a million dollars, was tested last week and would be deployed along the border with the Gaza Strip and Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, although the report did not announce the exact date.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been high in recent months after rockets were launched into Israeli territory from Gaza. Tel Aviv puts the blame for the attacks on the Hamas movement. For decades, Palestinians have been fighting for the creation of an independent Palestinian state located on the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv refuses to recognise Palestine as an independent state.
