Israel unveils Star Wars-like laser to shift balance of power

By Exjani Rojas —

Just when Iran is threatening to launch its remaining stockpile of 500 ballistic missiles at Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces unveiled a new laser weapon to shoot rockets, drones and even mortars out of the sky. It appears to be months from being developed successfully to take out missiles.

This is how wars are fought: the country with the greatest new technology wins.

The invention of the crossbow canceled the effectiveness of knights. The machine gun canceled the charge. Navies came on to the scene and made nations powerful, but their power was checked by airplanes. Etc.

The U.S. reportedly used a secret new weapon to clear a pathway to extract Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela: a sonic weapon that sent militia into vomiting and nose bleeds, rendering them incapable of firing a shot.

In September, Israel pulled out of its magician’s hat the holy grail of 60 years of research into laser weapons. The tiny nation already could shoot down rockets, but the technology was super expensive, one high tech defense rocket expended per cheap attacking rocket. Laser shoot-downs could cost $1 each.

Dov Oster is behind the breakthrough. The only reason he offered his services to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems (who were developing it) was because his son, Eitan, was killed in October 2024 in the Battle of Al-Aadaissah against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. His help led to breakthrough.

It’s not for revenge. It’s for the defense of other young men who hazard their lives against its multitudinous enemies. Grief moved Dov, more to help than to harm, more to defend than to destroy.

The laser system will be integrated with the multilayered rocket defenses: Iron Dome (for projectiles incoming from 70 kilometers, from Hamas or Hezbollah), David’s Sling (from 300 kilometers), Arrow 2 and 3 (for ballistic missiles inside and outside the atmosphere).

It’s being called the Or Eitan (Eitan’s Light) in honor of Dov’s son. You could call it Star Wars.

Laser technology has languished in development for 60 years. The materials to produce a large beam were big and cumbersome, and they overheated. They were misdirected in atmospheric changes just like mirages shimmer in the hot sun from a distance. The obstacles seemed insurmountable.

Dov overcame them by using tiny beams, grouped together, different wavelengths on the spectrum. Sophisticated equipment recalculates continuously the aiming to take into account constant atmospheric changes.

For now, Or Eitan will be used against small projectiles launched within shot distances, rockets from Hamas, drones and, incredibly, mortars. It is not known how long it will take Israel to perfect laser beams to take out ballistic missiles in the atmosphere.

In October 2024, Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles against Israel. Most were intercepted by Arrow counter-missile missiles, some were shot down by U.S. Navy warplanes, others fell on non-critical areas. The attack was essentially blunted by technology.

But what would happen if 500 ballistic missiles were launched? Would the huge quantity overwhelm Israel’s defense capabilities? Iran says that if the U.S. does airstrikes in defense of the uprising, it will launch everything all at once at Israel or against U.S. military assets in the region.

The Or Eitan laser system was highly effective in testing and was given to the IDF in December. It’s Israel new secret weapon.

Of course, the Islamists have their secret weapon: their ideology. Religion inspires men to throw themselves in reckless abandon into killing. They believe Allah will help them. If not, they believe they will be received into Paradise with 72 virgins for eternity. In fact, many Muslims consider it very difficult to make it into Paradise, and jihad is considered their best chance to get in.

Radical ideology is why the U.S. failed in Afghanistan and in Iraq.

Whether the U.S. and Israel fail in Iran remains to be seen. There is one major difference this time: the people of Iran. They want to get rid of radical Islam because it has oppressed them.

If you want to know what the secret weapon to counter Islamist ideology, it’s already been developed but very poorly deployed: It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Related coverage of Iran: complete coverage of how the Woke Left has supported the Iranian people, here comes the cavalry charge, Day 15 of the uprising. Sources: TBN Israel, others.