Israel activates 'Barak Magen' aerial defenses for system's first ever interception

Israel activated a caller aerial defence strategy – dubbed "Barak Magen," meaning "lightning shield" – for the archetypal clip connected Sunday night, saying it intercepted and destroyed aggregate Iranian drones.

The Israeli Navy intercepted 8 Iranian drones utilizing the "Barak Magen" and its long-range aerial defence (LRAD) interceptor, which were launched from an Israeli navy Sa’ar 6 rocket ship, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said successful a statement.

John Hannah, elder chap astatine the National Security of America and the co-author of a report published earlier this month connected Israel’s defence against 2 monolithic Iranian rocket attacks successful 2024, told Fox News Digital connected Monday that the aerial defence strategy "significantly enhances" the aerial and rocket defence architecture of Israel’s navy.

"The Barak Magen is simply different arrow successful the expanding quiver of Israel’s highly blase and progressively divers multi-tiered rocket defence architecture – which was already, by leaps and bounds, the astir precocious and experienced aerial defence strategy fielded by immoderate state successful the world," Hannah said.

USS NIMITZ CARRIER STRIKE GROUP SAILING TOWARD MIDDLE EAST AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, US OFFICIAL SAYS

The "Barak Magen" interceptors were launched from an Israeli navy Sa’ar 6 rocket ship. (Israel Defense Forces)

The strategy tin intercept a "wide scope of threats," according to the IDF, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, high-trajectory threats and shore-to-sea missiles.

Hannah said the strategy not lone provides unit extortion for the Israeli fleet but besides gives long-distance extortion to Israel’s expanding lipid and state infrastructure successful the eastbound Mediterranean, on with captious infrastructure and colonisation centers located on Israel’s coastline.

"It allows Israel to behaviour interceptions astatine important distances from the Israeli homeland, some retired successful the eastbound Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and thereby adds critically important strategical extent erstwhile defending Israel’s tiny geographic area," helium said.

The IDF said that the Israeli Navy’s rocket vessel flotilla has intercepted astir 25 UAVs that posed a menace to Israel since the conflict with Iran escalated.

ISRAEL SAYS IT HAS AERIAL SUPERIORITY OVER TEHRAN, IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE LEADER KILLED

Israel and Iran traded rocket strikes for the 4th time connected Monday, with Iran firing a caller question of strikes that killed astatine slightest 8 radical and wounded dozens more.

An Israeli onslaught connected the Shahran lipid depot connected June 15, 2025, successful Tehran, Iran.  (Stringer/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, the Israeli subject claimed it had achieved aerial superiority supra Tehran, informing astir 330,000 radical successful a cardinal portion of the Iranian superior to evacuate up of caller strikes.