Israel builds ‘missile net’

OCCUPIED AL-QUDS: Israel has built a unique "missile net" to defend a new airport, as part of a newly-completed segment of its eastern border barrier, a military official said on Friday.

The 34-kilometre fence runs along Israel’s border with Jordan, beginning near the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat and reaching the site of a new airport being constructed in the Timna Valley.

The fence, 6 metres high, is part of a broader strategy by Israel to surround itself by barriers, including at its southwestern border with Egypt, to prevent militants and migrants crossing the border illegally.

Part of the new segment is accompanied by a 26-metre "net" developed specifically to protect the new Ramon airport. The missile fence is designed to intercept projectiles and surface-to-surface missiles, the official said.