IRON DOME tells the remarkable story of how a single military system, designed to protect against rockets, reshaped Israel''s politics and strategy. Conceived against the resistance from many, and developed at extraordinary speed, Iron Dome eventually became one of the most iconic symbols of modern warfare. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews with Israeli and American decision-makers, Jean-Loup Samaan traces the rise of Iron Dome against the backdrop of Israel''s wars with Hamas and Hezbollah. The new system enabled Israel''s governments to assuage the fears of its population amid the flow of rockets targeting its cities. However, the book shows that the story of Iron Dome is more than a tale of technological prowess: it reveals key insights into the evolving conflict between Israel and the Palestinians since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, the struggle within the Israeli Defense Forces to adapt its strategy, and the way missile defense is shaping the future of Israel-US military cooperation. It also offers a compelling study of the core tensions of modern warfare, from the dilemma between offense and defense to the uneasy marriage of strategy and technology.

Autorentext

Jean-Loup Samaan is Senior Research Fellow in the Middle East Institute at the National University
of Singapore, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, USA. A former advisor for
the French Ministry of Defense and NATO, he has authored several books, including New Military
Strategies in the Gulf: The Mirage of Autonomy in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar (2023).

Inhalt

List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
Note on Conventions

Introduction

1. The Rise of Rocket Warfare
2. Iron Dome Enters
3. An Unlikely Military Hero
4. A New Pillar of US-Israel Defense Cooperation
5. October 7 and the End of the Iron Dome Decade
6. Beyond Iron Dome: The Future of Missile Defense in the Middle East
   Conclusion

Select Bibliography
Index