Iron Dome marks 10th anniversary of first operational intercept 7 April 2021 (Last Updated April 7th, 2021 16:12) Today marks the 10th anniversary of the first operational intercept by Rafael’s Iron Dome air defence system. Since then, the system has been credited with a total of 2,500 combat intercepts. Share Article Image: Rafael. Today marks the 10th anniversary of the first operational intercept by Rafael’s Iron Dome air defence system. Since then, the system has been credited with a total of 2,500 combat intercepts. The system’s first combat intercept came on 7 April 2011, less than a month after it was first deployed, being used to intercept a rocket targeting Ashkelon, a city in Israel.