US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for an “Iron Dome for America”, borrowing the name of Israel’s vaunted missile defence system.
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“We need to immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defence shield, which will be able to protect Americans,” he said on Monday while addressing Republican lawmakers at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in Florida. He added that the system would be “made right here in the USA”.
However, analysts said Trump’s proposal for an “Iron Dome” was not aimed at replicating the Israeli missile defence system but was instead a pledge to build a sprawling air defence network to defend the US against possible missile attacks from adversaries such as China and Russia, which had been ramping up their weapons development.
Israel’s Iron Dome was developed in coordination with the US – and with billions of dollars from Washington – to intercept and destroy threats such as short-range rockets, artillery shells and drones fired from no more than 70km (43 miles) away.
Since 2023, Israel has used the system to shoot down rockets fired by its regional enemies, such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran.
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“They knock down just about every one of them,” Trump said on Monday, referring to Israel’s use of the air defence system against missile and drone attacks. “So I think the United States is entitled to that.”
Trump has repeatedly praised Israel’s missile shield and promised to build an American version. In July, he made building a “Great Iron Dome” part of the official Republican Party platform.