Israel’s defense minister told military reporters his government intends to build laser weapons for attacks in space and wants to lead the world in doing so. Defense Minister Israel Katz made the remarks at a briefing on June 29, about three and a half months ago. He had never specifically named space lasers before.
“One of the central goals which the prime minister and I set is that we are recruiting the best minds,” Katz said, since “as of today, no country has the ability to mount attacks in space. We must be the leading country in the world with this capability.” He described the payoff in blunt terms. “If we achieve this, it will ensure the advantage of deterrence, of the ability to attack, destroy, and all of the other matters, versus our enemies with large resources.”
The statement expanded on an earlier June commitment to make Israel the leading player in space attack capabilities.
A Weapons Race With Washington in the Lead
Israel isn’t moving alone. In September, about one month ago, two top US military officials spoke publicly for the first time about America’s already-deployed offensive weapons in space. The announcement set off speculation about their type. Candidates include directed-energy weapons, meaning lasers; kinetic anti-satellite missiles; or platforms that disrupt or disable satellites without destroying them, known as rendezvous and proximity operations.
Experts commenting so far lean toward the last category. Such operations have existed in some form since the US used multiple space vehicles to repair one another in the 1960s. They may also be favored because kinetic weapons create debris. The base reporting says the US hopes to make major advancements in stationing anti-missile physical interceptors in space by 2028. Lasers in space or on aircraft, by contrast, remain a distant solution involving more complex physics and engineering.
China, Russia and the US all have anti-satellite weapons. China unofficially demonstrated old space weapons in 2007, 19 years ago, and both Russia and China have demonstrated newer ones since 2021.
War Footing and the Iran Target
The Jerusalem Post, the source of the reporting, concluded that Katz was plainly referring to Iran. During the 2026 war, Israel struck multiple Iranian space war-related facilities, including sites working on capabilities to attack satellites. It remains unclear whether Katz also meant to warn Russia and China against assisting Iran.
The military establishment is already working on the problem. In April, a Unit 9900 officer identified only as Lt.-Col. “S” and space war expert Tal Inbar discussed Israeli efforts to defend its space assets. On June 24, IDF Brig.-Gen. Yael Grosman said: “There are threats from space. We work with the Defense Ministry with a lot of power; with the broader defense establishment, we can all bring forward achievements.”
Israel is already a leading country in developing Iron Beam, a land-based laser. The Jerusalem Post said it saw and heard about work on presumed future fighter-jet-based lasers during a visit to Elbit. Foreign reports suggest lasers might destroy enemy satellites and burn up debris. Some have speculated Israel could use the Arrow 3 missile system against satellites, given that it already strikes ballistic missiles in space.
Deterrence or Posturing
The Post’s own assessment of the June statement was less than certain. It said the remarks were less about immediate attack, defense or deterrence, and were either bragging to the Israeli public about a distant future achievement or psychological warfare against Iran. The paper’s reading was that the aim was to unsettle any Iranian belief it could work with Moscow and Beijing to go after Israel’s satellite advantage.
The stated logic is that if Iran or other enemies advanced past Israel in space, they could attack Israeli satellites and reduce its surveillance capabilities. Katz’s formulation, with its emphasis on the ability to “attack, destroy” enemies, leaves little ambiguity about the direction of travel: a state that struck Iranian facilities on the ground in 2026 now says it wants to extend that reach beyond the atmosphere.