Israel fires new missile over Mediterranean Sea to test a new long-range rocket defense system

JERUSALEM – Israel says it has fired a missile over the Mediterranean Sea to test a new missile defense system designed to intercept long-range rockets.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Tuesday's test of the Arrow 2 missile "performed its flight sequence as planned" after being launched. It is part of a multilayered system Israel is developing to protect itself from a range of missile threats, from short-range rockets fired in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon to longer-range threats, like a missile launch from Iran.