Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, representatives of the United States military attaché to the IDF, and a host of senior IDF officials gathered at the Hatzor Air Force Base on Sunday to inaugurate the David’s Sling anti-aircraft and anti-missile system.

Netanyahu called the occasion “a day of celebration for the State of Israel” that marks an important milestone in the joint development of cutting-edge missile defense technologies.

“Together with the United States, we face incredibly sophisticated threats, but we have repeatedly demonstrated that together we can meet these challenges much better than any one of us could do so apart,” Netanyahu said.

General Zvika Haimovich, commander of the IDF air defense apparatus, said the system would significantly bolster Israel’s ability to defend itself against incoming missiles.

“David’s Sling is part of a multi-tiered defense concept to defend the State of Israel against tactical ballistic missiles,” he explained. “The threat we are dealing with is much more complex that it was in the past, and I am sure that the combination of the David’s Sling, the Iron Dome, Arrow 2, and Arrow 3 will give us a better answer to the tactical challenges we face. Behind the technology stand many incredible people, commanders and soldiers, combat support who are committed, within seconds, to fulfill their mission. We are very aware of both the significance and the responsibility [of such power].”

Defense Minister Lieberman added:”When we look at the world map, we notice a small pin called Israel, surrounded by 58 Muslim states, with a combined population of 1.6 billion people, stretching from the Middle East to Kyrgyzstan. The only way to deal with this reality is vision, genius, and security.”

Ilana Messika contributed to this article.