The Dangerous Success of Iron Dome

Iron Dome has proved almost as robust as its name. Twenty years ago, when Saddam Hussein was launching his Scuds at Tel Aviv, traumatized residents fled north, south, even to Jerusalem (!) — packing out hotels in the capital — to escape the danger zone. Six years ago, when Hezbollah held the north of Israel hostage, a million-plus Israelis either spent 34 days in bomb shelters or dashed down toward Jerusalem and safety. This week, when the evil engineers of Hamas anticipated that they would reduce not just the Gaza-envelope communities but all places up as far as Tel Aviv to gibbering, rocket-battered wrecks, and eagerly contemplated Israeli death tolls on a scale that would emphasize their terrifying superiority over the loathed Zionist entity, they instead clanged up, most unexpectedly, against the nearly impermeable shield.