On June 29, Defense Minister Israel Katz told military reporters that Israel is developing space lasers to attack above the Earth, about three and a half months ago. “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,” Katz said. He specifically named space lasers for the first time.
Deterrence is the stated purpose. “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,” Katz said. He called the effort a central goal he and the prime minister set: “We are recruiting the best minds.”
Iran in the Crosshairs
The target audience was plain. The Jerusalem Post reported that Katz seemed to be referring to Iran. During the 2026 war, Israel struck multiple Iranian space war-related facilities, including those working on capabilities to attack satellites. Russia, China and Iran have all worked on ways to attack, damage, jam, or drag satellites.
Whether Katz also meant to warn Russia and China against assisting Tehran remained unclear. If Iran or other enemies advanced past Israel in space, they could attack Israeli satellites and reduce the country’s surveillance capabilities. For a nation that depends on eyes in orbit to track threats on every border, that’s no abstract risk.
IDF Brig.-Gen. Yael Grosman put it directly on June 24: “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.” In April, Unit 9900 officer Lt.-Col. “S” and space war expert Tal Inbar discussed Israeli efforts to defend its space assets.
The Great-Power Backdrop
Israel isn’t entering an empty field. In September, two consecutive top US military officials publicly disclosed for the first time that America has offensive weapons already deployed in space, about one month ago. The US, China and Russia have anti-satellite weapons; that’s no secret. China unofficially demonstrated old space weapons in 2007, 19 years ago, and Russia and China have both demonstrated newer weapons since 2021.
The US declaration set off speculation about whether the weapons are directed-energy lasers, kinetic anti-satellite missiles, or platforms that disrupt or disable satellites without destroying them, known as rendezvous and proximity operations (RPOs). Experts commenting so far lean toward RPOs, which have existed in some form since the US used multiple space vehicles to repair one another in the 1960s. RPOs may also be favored to avoid the debris caused by kinetic weapons. A nuclear method is assumed not to be the focus, because the consequences in space would affect attacker and defender alike.
The US says it hopes to make major advancements in stationing anti-missile physical interceptors in space by 2028. Lasers in space or on aircraft remain a distant solution involving more complex physics and engineering.
Israel’s Technological Edge
Israel already ranks among the leaders in laser weapons. It’s a leading country in developing Iron Beam as a land-based laser, and The Jerusalem Post saw and heard about work on presumed future fighter-jet-based lasers during a visit to Elbit. According to foreign reports, lasers might destroy enemy satellites and burn up debris. Some have speculated Israel could use the Arrow 3 missile system against satellites, given it already strikes ballistic missiles in space.
The Post assessed that Katz’s June statement was less about immediate attack, defense or deterrence. It was either bragging to the Israeli public about a distant future achievement, or psychological warfare against Iran, to the extent the Islamic Republic might believe it can work with Moscow and Beijing to go after Israel’s satellite advantage. Either way, the message went out: the Jewish state intends to hold the high ground against a regime that has already tried to build the means to blind it.