Israel deployed a new aerial defense mechanism known as “Barak Magen,” translating to “lightning shield,” for the first time on Sunday night, claiming it successfully intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian drones.

The Israeli Navy used the “Barak Magen” system and its long-range air defense (LRAD) interceptor to intercept eight Iranian drones. These were launched from an Israeli navy Sa’ar 6 missile ship, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

John Hannah, a senior fellow at the National Security of America and co-author of a recent report on Israel’s response to two large Iranian missile attacks in 2024, told Fox News Digital on Monday that this air defense system “significantly enhances” the navy’s air and missile defense capabilities.

“The Barak Magen is simply another arrow in the expanding quiver of Israel’s highly sophisticated and increasingly diverse multi-tiered missile defense architecture – which was already, by leaps and bounds, the most advanced and experienced air defense system fielded by any country in the world,” Hannah said.

Israel and Iran traded missile strikes for the fourth day on Monday, with Iran firing a new wave of strikes that killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more.

An Israeli attack on the Shahran oil depot on June 15, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.  (Stringer/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above Tehran, warning about 330,000 people in a central part of the Iranian capital to evacuate ahead of new strikes.