Did Israel use its laser weapon ‘Iron Beam’ for the first time? Here’s what we know

Video footage of beams of light pulsing through the night sky prompted speculation about the potential use of a new weapon in the Israel-Hamas war — the Iron Beam. 

"Breaking: Israel activates new energy based iron beam system in taking out missles (sic) heading towards Tel Aviv," read the caption of an Oct. 15 Instagram video. The beams appear to strike two targets in quick succession, then a third.

After showing footage of beams striking targets in the sky, the video explains how the Iron Beam works.

The Iron Beam will be the first of its kind and will add to Israel’s defense system. But based on available information, it’s not clear whether the weapon is ready for use or being used. 

Referring to the specific video footage in this Instagram post, a spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Defense told PolitiFact that the Iron Beam "was not used operationally." A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said, "We cannot elaborate on that matter." 

CTech, which says it is "Israel's leading financial daily," noted that Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the state-affiliated company that developed the Iron Beam have not released any statements "categorically denying the testing of the Iron Beam system during the recent confrontation with Hamas."

Here’s what we know about the Iron Beam.

The Iron Beam, Israel’s ground-based laser air defense system, was first unveiled in 2014. The New York Times described it in 2022 as a "high-powered laser gun that can intercept rockets, mortar shells, drones and anti-tank missiles in flight." 

State-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. was contracted to develop the system and said it can intercept threats from a distance of "a few hundred meters to up to several kilometers." During live tests in March 2022, incoming threats were intercepted at a range of up to 6 miles, which is more than 9 kilometers.

The system is intended to be used in conjunction with Israel’s other missile interception systems, such as the Iron Dome and David’s Sling. 

While the Iron Dome costs tens of thousands of dollars per interception, the Iron Beam is more cost-effective, with interceptions costing as little as $3.50 per shot. But reports say it’s ineffective in rainy and cloudy conditions. 

By June 2022, Israeli defense officials said they had a working prototype. The following month, Israel’s defense officials showed President Joe Biden the prototype. 

U.S. President Joe Biden tours Israel's Iron Beam and Iron Dome defense systems July 13, 2022. (AP)

When the working prototype was rolled out, The New York Times reported that professionals involved in developing Iron Beam said it is still "several years away from being fully operational in the field."

But former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had previously predicted it would enter service by early 2023.

PolitiFact reached out to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems but received no reply.

PolitiFact was unable to find the original source of the video. But the beams of light it shows don’t track with what is known about the Iron Beam. 

Former Prime Minister Bennett has said that the laser’s interceptions are "silent" and "invisible." 

USA Today fact-checked the same Instagram footage and found it had previously been posted on X, formerly Twitter, by an account that initially said it was affiliated with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. The newspaper said the X account was temporarily restricted and then changed its descriptor to say it provides Mossad commentary.

USA Today also reported that defense experts told them the footage doesn’t show the Iron Beam. James Siebens, a fellow for defense strategy and planning at The Stimson Center, a nonpartisan think tank, told USA Today that "conflicts like the Israel-Hamas war are often treated as ‘testing grounds’ for new weapons systems."

Other fact-checkers debunked posts that used different images and footage to claim that Israel used its Iron Beam. One post used a 2005 photo that shows a laser in New Mexico. Other posts used footage from the video game Arma 3, which has been commonly used as misinformation during the Israel-Hamas war.