The Defense Ministry will deploy a fifth Iron Dome battery in Israel on Saturday evening.
The battery, scheduled originally to be deployed in two months time, is being expedited in light of the ongoing security escalations and rocket barrages striking Israel.
The Defense Ministry said that technicians are "working around the clock" in order to move the fifth battery from the test field to the battlefield.
The fifth battery was recently tested for its improved capabilities.The upgraded system is designed to shoot down rockets at greater ranges than those offered by the older Iron Dome batteries.
Speaking earlier this month, Defense Minister Ehud Barak described the development as “significant progress toward the completion of a multi-layered defense system,” adding that further resources will need to be invested.
The four Iron dome batteries currently deployed in Israel have successfully intercepted well over a hundred rockets from Gaza since Operation Pillar of Defense began on Friday.