Israeli system intercepts Gaza rocket for first time

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Israel's Iron Dome short-range missile defence system on Thursday intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza for the first time, over the city of Ashkelon, an AFP correspondent said.

A military source confirmed the rocket had been brought down by the unique multi-million-dollar system, which came into operation on March 27, the first time a short-range interceptor has been deployed anywhere.

As the rocket came in from Gaza, the interceptor missile streaked into the sky to hit it with the two trails converging in an explosion, said the AFP correspondent.

A military source told AFP this was the first time that Iron Dome had hit a rocket in actual combat.

"Israel air defences using the Iron dome system earlier this evening intercepted a rocket fired at the Israeli home front. Immediately afterwards aircraft identified the cell that fired the rocket and attacked them, identifying a hit," an army spokeswoman said.

It was not immediately clear what kind of rocket it was.

The rocket fire from Gaza came after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired an anti-tank rocket at an Israeli school bus, critically wounding a teenager.

Later militants fired dozens of mortar rounds and rockets into Israel.

Israel responded with air raids and tank shells, killing three Palestinians and wounding 25.

The first Iron Dome battery was deployed outside Beersheva, just days after the southern desert city was hit by several Grad rockets fired from Gaza.

Ashkelon, which has a population of some 113,000, has also recently come under attack from Grads, which have a range of up to 50 kilometres (30 miles).

The defence system, the first of its kind in the world and still at the experimental stage, is not yet able to provide complete protection against the hundreds of rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel, officials have said.

Israel plans to raise to six the number of Iron Dome batteries in operation over the next two years.

The system, developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defence Systems with the help of US funding, is designed to intercept rockets and artillery shells fired from a range of between four and 70 kilometres.

Over the past five years, militants in Gaza and in south Lebanon have fired thousands of projectiles at the Jewish state, and Israel is planning to deploy the system along both borders.

Iron Dome will join the Arrow long-range ballistic missile defence system in an ambitious multi-layered programme to protect Israeli cities from rockets and missiles fired from Lebanon or Gaza, Syria or Iran.

A third system, known as David's Sling, is currently under development with the aim of countering medium-range missiles.