'Bibi, stop taking credit for the dome': Trump claims credit for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system

U.S. President Donald Trump took credit for the Israeli-developed Iron Dome missile defense system in a speech at the Davos World Economic Forum on Wednesday, causing some confusion but, notably, no official reaction in Israel. 

While talking about his plans for a “Golden Dome,” a proposed defense system to protect North America, Trump said that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should stop claiming credit for the development of the missile interception technology. 

“I told Bibi [Netanyahu], ‘Bibi, stop taking credit for the dome. That's our technology, that's our stuff.’ But they had a lot of courage, and they were good fighters, and they did a good job,” he said, referencing the 12-Day War against Iran. 

“What we did for Israel was amazing but that's nothing compared to what we have planned for the U.S., Canada and the rest of the world. We are going to build a dome like no other. We did it for Israel,” the president said. 

Trump on the Iron Dome:

“What we did for Israel was amazing…We did it for Israel. And by the way, I told Bibi, ‘Bibi, stop taking credit for the dome. That's our technology, that's our stuff.’ But they had a lot of courage, and they were good fighters, and they did a good job.” pic.twitter.com/tm9G9uHdK5

— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) January 21, 2026

At the time of publication, no Israeli official had publicly corrected Trump.

The development of Iron Dome was carried out by the Israeli defense company Rafael, despite attempts to have it awarded to the American company Nautilus. The U.S. later contributed large amounts of funding for the production of the system and the Tamir interceptor missiles. 

Iron Dome was declared operational in early 2011, and is designed to intercept rockets, mortar grenades, drones and other projectiles at a range of 4 to 70 kilometers (2–43 miles), making it the lowest layer of Israel air defense. 

After the U.S. decided to purchase Iron Dome for the U.S. Army, Netanyahu said, “This is another expression of the strengthening of our solid alliance with the United States and of Israel’s rising status in the world. Israel has an Iron Dome and an iron fist. Our systems know how to deal with any threat, both defensively and offensively. I would not recommend that our enemies test us.” 

The “Golden Dome for America” (initially called the “Iron Dome for America”) is envisioned as an integrated air and missile defense system partly based on Israel’s Iron Dome. It aims to counter ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missile threats through a mix of existing capabilities and space-based technologies.  

In an announcement last May, Trump estimated that it would be operational before the end of his term and cost approximately $175 billion. Reuters reported that contracts were awarded to defense companies Northrop Grumman, True Anomaly, Lockheed Martin, and Anduril to build competing prototypes. 

The other two main layers of Israel’s anti-missile system, Arrow and David's Sling, are U.S.-Israeli co-productions. 

Arrow was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and U.S.-based Boeing, while David’s Sling was developed by Rafael and the American company Raytheon.