Trump to Netanyahu: Don't boast about the Iron Dome, we made it for "Israel"

US President Donald Trump attacked the head of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that his country contributed to the manufacture of the "Iron Dome" system that "Israel" uses for air defense. In his speech at the Davos Forum in Switzerland, Trump said that "the United States has achieved great things with Israel," adding: "I told Netanyahu not to take credit for himself, as the Iron Dome is our own technology," in what the Hebrew website "Walla" described as an "attack" on the Israeli Prime Minister.

The Iron Dome is a mobile air defense system used by the occupation state, developed by "Rafael" Advanced Defense Systems with support from the United States to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. It became operational in 2011.

The development of this system began after the July 2006 war with Lebanese Hezbollah, to ward off the threat of short-range rockets from the occupation and 155 mm artillery shells, which have a range of up to 70 kilometers. The system includes a radar device, a tracking system, and a launcher consisting of 20 interceptor missiles called "Tamir."

Iron Dome missiles hover around rocket projectiles until they collide with them. The longer the range of the missile, the longer it takes to calculate its trajectory, and any deviation can lead to a very significant change in the point of impact. Intercepting long-range munitions requires other radars, and the Iron Dome has a minimum range of 4.5 kilometers.

The military establishment of the occupation army admitted a decline in the Iron Dome's ability to intercept Palestinian rockets, due to the improved rocket capabilities of resistance factions and their penetration of the Dome system.

This acknowledgment means that the Dome does not meet the objectives for which it was developed in intercepting rocket projectiles, especially since the range of resistance rockets has reached more than 150 kilometers and to areas beyond the city of Tel Aviv.

Some experts attribute the resistance rockets' bypassing of the Iron Dome to the intensity of the response, while others believe that the Palestinian resistance has managed to develop its rockets. Meanwhile, Israeli military sources previously said that the matter relates to technical problems.

Trump announced on May 20 that the United States had defined the architectural shape of the "Golden Dome" system, which will involve launching interceptor missiles into space, stressing that the construction of the system would take about three years and cost approximately $175 billion.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also confirmed that the system would be designed to intercept nuclear weapons as well.

The Golden Dome program sparked a wave of international criticism, indicating that the project aims to militarize space and violates international treaties that call for preserving space for peaceful uses only.

Russia and China criticized President Trump's proposal to develop the "Golden Dome" system, describing it as "deeply destabilizing," warning that it could turn space into a "battlefield."

The two countries said in a joint statement published on May 8, 2025, that they would begin consultations on preventing the deployment of weapons in space, and pledged to confront "policies and activities aimed at achieving military superiority and using space as a battlefield."

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the United States, in its pursuit of an "America First" policy, is obsessed with achieving absolute security for itself, noting that China is deeply concerned about this trend, and added that "this offensive system is extremely dangerous and violates the principle of peaceful use of outer space," and that "it will increase the risk of turning space into a battlefield and starting an arms race, and will undermine the international security system and arms control system."

Moscow had indicated that the Golden Dome program was similar to the "Star Wars" project, the term used to refer to the American Strategic Defense Initiative during President Ronald Reagan's era during the Cold War.