Israel successfully test fired late-last night surface-to-air missiles of the American-made Patriot systems, from a base in the center of the country, as part of an air force exercise designed to test Israel’s air defense capabilities against growing regional threats. As part of the exercise, the Patriot system hit an airborne unmanned aerial vehicle. The successful interception, which according to the IDF, “was part of a larger exercise planned in advance for 2017,” aims to bolster the military’s defense abilities and thwart ongoing “attempts in recent years to violate the sovereignty of the State of Israel.”
