Steinitz Reveals Depth of Iran Strike and Rafael’s Laser Breakthrough

In a candid conversation, Yuval Steinitz the former minister and current Rafael chairman offered a rare window into the logic behind Israel’s recent campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and the cutting-edge air defenses born from that effort.

Steinitz recalls the onset of the operation with stark humility. “First, there was deep anxiety,” he said, emphasizing that even meticulously planned strikes carry immense risk. He warned that failure could mean catastrophic retaliation and a setback in strategic objectives.

For years, Steinitz helped shape Israel’s Iran policy from his roles as Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair, finance minister, intelligence minister, and finally as head of Rafael.

He described the operation not as a surgical strike like those against Iraq in 1981 or Syria in 2007, but as a sweeping campaign targeting enrichment sites, leadership nodes, and weapons infrastructure across facilities including Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan, Arak, and R&D labs. He estimates a setback of two to four years perhaps 80% of Iran’s enrichment and nearly all weaponization capabilities.

Steinitz contrasted this with earlier proposals in 2011–2012 that he says would have achieved only limited damage. Back then, Israel lacked tools like Iron Dome, and anticipated casualties in Gaza could have reached into the hundreds. That plan was shelved in favor of a more effective, comprehensive doctrine.

A central highlight of his remarks focused on Rafael’s breakthrough in directed-energy technology. Israel recently completed combat-proven laser interceptions, using high-energy lasers built with Rafael’s adaptive optics innovation to take down rockets, drones, and mortar rounds at a near-zero cost per shot.

According to Steinitz and Rafael reports, this system successfully engaged dozens of incoming threats during the conflict with Iran, marking Israel as the first nation to field such a weapon operationally. These lasers travel at light speed, requiring no interceptor missiles and producing minimal collateral damage.

Steinitz noted that typical intercept costs $100,000 for Iron Dome or up to $700,000 for David’s Sling are replaced by the laser’s minimal per-shot cost of just a few dollars.

The laser system known as Iron Beam and expected to reach full deployment by late 2025 is built on decades of research. It uses adaptive optics to correct for atmospheric distortion, enabling precise beam targeting over distances of up to 10 km with pinpoint accuracy.

Operational performance speaks volumes. Since the onset of hostilities, Israel intercepted nearly all incoming threats around 99.9% success rate, with only a single drone causing damage, compared to far lower rates seen in other conflicts.

Steinitz’s reflections extend beyond technology. After decades in government, including a push in 2014 for a ground operation in Gaza to eliminate Hamas before it expanded, he now sees Rafael’s leadership in laser defense as a new chapter. He calls the development of Iron Beam a testimony to Israel’s capacity to innovate under pressure.

Through strategic daring and technological leadership, Israel has redefined modern air defense and few are better positioned to explain that evolution than Yuval Steinitz.

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