WASHINGTON, October 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israel is deploying a missile defense system under the pretext of protecting its major cities if they come under attack from Iraq.

Once it fully deploys the missile defense system, which will take about two years, Israel will be the first country in the world to have a countrywide missile defense system, the New York Times reported Sunday, October 6.

The new missile system, known as the Arrow, is designed to avoid the pitfalls of the American Patriot system, which Israelis claims had little success in stopping Iraq's scud missile attacks during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

The program, which cost more than two billion dollars, is partly financed by the United States, the Times reported.

According to the newspaper, one battery is already deployed in Israel, while final interceptors and radars will be installed later.

Israel is threatening that the Arrow could be put to the test in what would be an important trial of antimissile technology in case the Bush administration follows through with its threats to attack Iraq.

"It would be the first time in history that an interceptor that was developed strictly to shoot down incoming missiles is used," a Pentagon official told the Times.

"The Patriot used in 1991 was designed to shoot down airplanes and modified to give it some kind of antimissile capability. But from the start, the Arrow was built to intercept ballistic missiles," the official said.

"The whole world will be watching to see what happens," he added "and we will be watching."

It is worth mentioning that Israel, with its comprehensive nuclear, chemical, and biological programs, is not a signatory of the nonproliferation treaty (NPT).