Israel tests anti-missile system

JERUSALEM – Israel successfully conducted its first nighttime test of the Arrow anti-missile system after sundown Sunday, the Defense Ministry said.

The system is being developed jointly by Israel and the United States to intercept medium and long-range ballistic missiles. Israel TV noted that Iran has deployed missiles with a range to reach Israel and is working on a nuclear program that Israel and the United States suspect is meant to produce atomic bombs. Iran’s president has called for Israel’s destruction.

A Defense Ministry statement said an air force plane launched a target and two Arrow batteries homed in on it with their radar. An Arrow missile intercepted the target.

“The target missile simulated a … nonexistent ballistic missile operating under extreme conditions,” the statement said. The system reached “an important milestone by completing another successful test,” it added.

This was the 10th test of the whole system and the 15th of the interceptor, the ministry said.