Zionist Organization of America

The Mission: Defending the skies

The man tasked with the smooth operation of the battery and the organization of its soldiers is Major Shay Kobninsky. The air-defense officer knows full well the weight of his task.

“Being located just a few kilometers from the cities that we protect, we see with our eyes why we’re here,” Maj. Kobninsky says. “When we work, we do it to save lives.” He isn’t just speculating. When rockets are fired into Israeli territory, Maj. Kobninsky sits in the battery’s command center, tracking the Iron Dome’s interceptor missile to ensure that it strikes the target in time.

“My soldiers work hard and are ready to go at any moment,” Maj. Kobninsky says. DuringOperation Pillar of Defensein 2012, tensions in southern Israel reached a fever pitch. More than 800 rockets were fired by terrorists in Gaza at southern and central Israel during the 8-day conflict. Of those rockets, many fell in open territory, but many also threatened to strike populated areas. Soldiers of the Iron Dome intercepted more than 400 of them.

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