Israel plans to have anti-missile system operational in 4 months

Israel will have an anti-missile system, known as the Iron Dome, in place by November, the defense ministry said.

The security system -- which was designed to protect Israel from short-range missiles and rockets -- is part of a larger defense system that includes protection from mid- and long-range missiles intended to address Israeli worries about a threat from Iran, the ministry said in a statement Monday.

Israel tested the Iron Dome and said that it was able to intercept rockets similar to the ones fired at Israel from the Palestinian territory of Gaza in recent years and from Lebanon during the 2006 fighting.

Israel considers rockets and missiles the main threat to its security since withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon in 2000 and from Gaza in 2005.

"This is an important landmark for the security system and the security industries which led the development of Iron Dome in an unprecedented period of time," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in a statement. "We will work to station the systems on the ground as soon as possible."

The White House is asking Congress to approve $205 million to help Israel build the new defense system, Obama administration officials said.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor explained the administration's rationale, saying, "The president recognizes the threat missiles and rockets fired by Hamas and Hezbollah pose to Israelis, and has therefore decided to seek funding from Congress to support the production of Israel's short-range rocket defense system called Iron Dome."

Two senior administration officials said the $205 million would be in addition to the $3 billion the United States spends each year to promote Israel's defense.

One senior administration official said a U.S. team went to Israel last fall to see work on the Iron Dome system, and came away with the assessment that it was "a system that made sense."

Another senior administration official said the funding is part of an ongoing partnership between the United States and Israel to promote steps "we can jointly take to improve Israel's security." Israel's short-range rocket defense system is "one of the security measures we've been talking [about] with them over time," the official added.

The Obama administration is helping Israel enhance its security systems, in part, to address Israeli fears that establishing a Palestinian state will create a safe launching pad for rocket attacks. The administration is continuing to nudge Israel to resume talks with the Palestinians