Despite the 150 rockets that have put a million Israelis under siege, Israel seems to have the advantage in this round.

Even before it assassinated Popular Resistance Committees secretary-general Zuhir al-Qaisi, the Israel Defense Forces prepared itself effectively when it came to both offense and defense, which substantially reduced the risk of Israeli casualties, while extracting a heavy price – 18 dead – from the Palestinian side.

And while the Islamic Jihad has received rockets from Iran with a range of 40 kilometers (and apparently several rockets that could reach over 70 kilometers ), its efforts to hit Be’er Sheva and Ashdod have been mostly stymied by the Iron Dome system.

It was no coincidence that Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Sunday the Iron Dome system had provided “decision-making freedom” to the political echelon, and called to speed up the acquisition of additional batteries. Indeed, what had been conceived as a tactical response to the rocket fire has taken on strategic significance, and the IDF is planning to absorb a fourth battery within a month.

Read in full at Haaretz.