What you need to know about Israel's Iron Dome

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has continued to escalate through the past few weeks, with Palestinian rockets and Israeli airstrikes keeping residents of both areas constantly in danger. But one aspect of the conflict that you've been hearing a lot about is the Iron Dome. Here are the key points on what you need to know about Israel's Iron Dome.

What is it?

The Iron Dome is an Israeli defense system that recognizes and intercepts short range rockets being fired into the state. It can intercept rockets being fired to Israel that are within 2.5-43 miles of the device.

Who funded it?

The project is jointly funded through Israel and the United States, who have been a longtime ally of the nation. The cost to create the dome is estimated at $210 million. The House of Representatives recently voted to allot $351 million for the program in 2015.

What lead to the creation of the Iron Dome?

As the Second Lebanon War raged on in 2006, thousands of short trajectory rockets were fired from the militant group Hezbollah into the Jewish State, prompting discussion of a nationwide missile defense system. The Iron Dome was selected as the solution to combat these sorts of attacks in 2007, and began operating in 2011.

Is the Iron Dome effective?

Israeli defense reports have stated that out of 200 rockets fired by Gaza in the current conflict, 53 had been intercepted. In 2012, 421 rockets had been intercepted by the Iron Dome. In 2012, the Jerusalem Post reported that 90% of rockets fired into the country had been intercepted.

What are the criticisms of the Iron Dome?

Many believe that the cost involved in creating the Iron Dome was not justified, seeing how a cheaper missile defense system could have effectively intercepted rockets. Additionally, the Iron Dome has not been successful in many instances from stopping attacks.

How does the Iron Dome play into the current conflict?

The Iron Dome has been the primary system of defense for intercepting rockets from the Gaza strip. The Iron Dome though has not been used as a weapon for Israel against Palestinians, but just a system of defense.