Report from the location of Israeli units of the PRO in the south of the country

New tactics, new arsenals

The shield of Israel these days is the Iron Dome. If not for these high -tech devices endowed with artificial intelligence, the account of the victims of the war would go to thousands.

I am going south to the location of the Israeli units to where the Iron Dome system is installed. War is an occasion to see her in action.

... Ahead of the army car, I'm behind it. The press secretary of the IDF, the captain of the reserve Anna Ukolova warns:

- Strictly follow the instructions. If we hear the siren, we stop on the side of the road, leave the car, run away for several meters, go to the ground, cover our head with our hands.

7 years passed after the previous operation “Infectant Rock”, when the exhausting shelling lasted about 50 days. A total of 4560 missiles and mortar shells were released from the gase. For the first time, Khamas produced that he could cover almost the entire territory of Israel, in his arsenal there were missiles of medium and distant radius of action that reached Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and even Haifa. Then I really had a post -traumatic syndrome. I began to hear Siren even when it was not.

Over seven years, Hamas re -equipped, updated the arsenals, changed the tactics of the battle. And today, in 10 days, 4070 missiles have already been released on Israel

(of which 610 fell on gas). 70% of Israeli territory were at risk.

War with artificial intelligence

The closer to the border, the more heard the explosions. I am going for army, where - I do not know. The location of the majority of calculations of the air defense is classified. I am warned that you can’t remove the plan of the area, the faces of soldiers of combat calculations. Such is the specifics of the army, the requirements of military censorship and the realities of wartime.

We come to the place. We put on bulletproof vests and helmets. The battery "Iron Dome" in front of us. And again short briefing:

- Not to come close. If suddenly the rocket flys to intercept, from the sound of its launch, you can get a contusion, injure a hearing.

Here it is, a miracle machine-the world's first smart system for intercepting missiles. The pride of Israel and its hope. The Iron Dome is equipped with an artificial intelligence system, although a person is still making a decision to launch a re-saber.

“Radar,” says Anna Ukolova, “discovers the rocket at the time of launch and tracks the path of its flight.” If the rocket flies to the residential areas, the operators launch the interceptor to meet her, which destroys the shell high in the sky. Each installation of the “iron dome” operates around the clock and can respond to several attacks at the same time. The Iron Dome is very mobile, operates under any weather conditions, is installed on any area and is even adapted for working on navy ships in conditions of swimming.

Life is more expensive

The Iron Dome is an expensive system. Each launch of a crossbar missile costs from 30 to 40 thousand dollars. But, as Captain Ukolova says: "The life of Israeli citizens is much more expensive."

- How many such systems are involved in the Operation "Walls"?

- This information is not disclosed. The batteries are located in different parts of Israel so as to protect the territory as much as possible. The effectiveness of protection is 90 percent.

To realize the level of threat, you need to understand that Israel is a very small country and gas is very close:

For example, to Tel Aviv 70 kilometers in a straight line. It's like going to the country.

Depending on the power, shells from the sector reach the target in 15–45 seconds, just so much time has to save his life: to hide in a bomb shelter, in any secure place or, if there is no shelter nearby, lie down on the ground and close his head with your hands.

Behind our border. Where all the time, while Anya spends a faculty of the work of the air defense, deaf breaks are heard. In Hebrew, there is a word “boom” for them. This is not an exclamation, as in Russian, but a very specific noun, denoting an explosion of a rocket. Imagine how not very spectacular I will fall in army body armor and a heavy helmet.

“Fall your head towards the explosion,” the calculation officer clarifies, instructing us.

When all this ends

For 10 days of this war - 10 Israelis were killed, 100 were injured. For 10 days, volleys in the south of Israel have not stopped. People practically moved to live in bomb shelters. We learned to sleep dressed, trained to take their sleeping children on the stairwell. Why so many victims?

“If the Iron Dome did not work so effectively, the number of victims would be different,” continues the press secretary of the IDF Anna Ukolova. - These would be thousands of lives. We saw this in Ramat Ghana, a city adjacent to Tel Aviv. There, the rocket literally “stitched” 4 high -rise buildings, about 80 families were under the blow. Now imagine if there were no “iron dome”. We would talk about completely other numbers.

Every night, the Israeli Air Force will bomb Gaza sector. The message is broken, there is no electricity. The headquarters were broken, dozens of warehouses, arsenals were destroyed, the commanders of Brigad Hamas and their residences, launchers, anti -tank calculations, and intelligence offices were destroyed. At this stage of the military operation, how does the army evaluate the threat? Different sources talk about a truce not today, so tomorrow. When will all this end?

- We have no habit of underestimating the enemy and understanding that until the missile shelling stops, our goal has not been achieved. The army inflicted more than a thousand spot strikes on the gas sector. Our goal is one and it remains unchanged - to protect people. As long as the life of the life of Israeli citizens will be exposed, we will strike, ”says Anna Ukolova.

Messages do not cease to come from the mobile phone: Siren in Ashdod, Ashkelon, in Bershev. Such mobile applications are in the phones of all Israelis. In real time, red dots appear on the map. These are released missiles. They are intercepted or fell, we will learn later from messages in the tape.

- How does Hamas attack? Why do some shells fall near the gases, others fly to Tel Aviv?

- Arsenal Hamas is not what he was in 2014. Volleys in the center and south are much more massive. The cascade of missiles is designed to break the ability of the "iron dome" to knock down goals. In this war, Hamas uses drones filled with explosives.

If one such drone exploded near a residential building, there would be huge sacrifices. But all drones are knocked down by an “iron dome”.

In addition, Hamas uses anti -tank shells. If we talk about missiles, then that they reach Tel Aviv, you need complex production and launch systems. Middle -radius missiles to produce and run easier. Therefore, at the very border, volleys do not stop.

- Is it true that they almost manually start?

- Each rocket has its own launch system. There are lung missiles that do not even fly the border, burst on the territory of the Gaza.

- The service at the Iron Dome is considered in the army one of the most difficult. Who serves this complex?

- The unit of the "Iron Dome" is the people who have passed. The goal of the guys is to protect and protection of the installation as a military facility. And, of course, they understand that today in the literal sense of the word they protect their families, their loved ones, friends, and parents.

- And how do parents relate to the fact that the children are in the war, and they are at home?

- Almost all parents in Israel were military service. This is the specificity of our country. Of course, all families are waiting and hoping that their children will return whole and unharmed.

The deployment of the "iron dome", of course, is classified, but not for the Israeli mother. The car drives up to the calculation. There are five boxes with huge cakes in the trunk. Tatyana is in a hurry to take the treats she prepared for the soldiers before the bombing.

“We are worried about the guys,” she says, “and, of course, we hope that they will return home whole and unharmed.”