The IDF has announced the inauguration of a new IDF Iron Dome battalion, the 139th Battalion of the Aerial Defense Array.
״אני גר ליד גבול לבנון. כשאני נכנס לעמדה אני מגן על הבית״.
קציני הבקרה האווירית החלו את תפקידם המבצעי בעיצומה של המלחמה.https://t.co/f9aCTTnLC2
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) May 22, 2024
The ceremony was attended if by senior IAF military officials and staff, including IAF Commanding Officer Major General Tomer Bar, Aerial Defense Array Commander Brigadier General Gilad Biran and 139th Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Tom Ironi.
The battalion was reopened after previously operating the IDF’s Hawk and Patriot aerial defense systems; the battalion was closed down in 2021 after some 53 years in action.
“During the war, and due to operational necessity, it was decided to reopen the battalion, and it will now operate the Iron Dome Aerial Defense System,” the IDF said in its statement. “As part of conclusions made during the war, the operational necessity arose to divide the command areas in a way that would allow for tailored combat management for the different operational areas. The establishment of the battalion will enable the expansion of the Iron Dome batteries’ deployment and improve the defensive array.”
Israel is one of “just a few countries in the world” that possesses “such sophisticated and expansive air defense systems, operated by such high-quality people,” Bar noted during the ceremony.
“Alongside a strong defense, we are operating offensively, denying Hezbollah its capabilities shoulder to shoulder with the Northern Command,” he added. “Together, we will know how to expand and intensify the offensive if required. It will be an offensive with massive firepower, which will remove threats and allow for a change in the security reality in the north. We have trained for this. The force is prepared for this.”
Biran added that the establishment of the new battalion comes as part of a “significant process of transformation and buildup” during the war aimed at beefing up the air defense of the national home of the Jewish people.
“Even at this hour, the command’s personnel, across the length and breadth of the country, are standing firm and alert to defend the nation’s skies from any enemy threatening its sovereignty and to protect those who look up to us, in whose name and on whose behalf we act. We will continue to stand guard, as long as required, until all missions are completed,” he said.
Personnel in the 139th Battalion have received new weapons systems and have already deployed them to intercept enemy aerial threats, Ironi noted.
“It is our destiny to build our spirit, equip ourselves and fulfill the mission, protecting our people, defending our home and achieving the victory that will surely come,” he added.
