Israel successfully tested its upgraded Arrow ballistic missile interceptor for the second time yesterday, pushing forward work on a US-backed defence against threats seen from Iran, Syria and Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas.
One of several elements of Israel's still-developing defence against missile attacks, Arrow III is designed to deploy kamikaze satellites - known as "kill vehicles" - that track and slam into ballistic missiles above the earth's atmosphere, high enough to safely disintegrate any chemical, biological or nuclear warheads.