JERUSALEM, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel has successfully tested a new missilbe defense system, which can intercept targets with a longer range than those downed by Iron Dome in the recent Israel- Gaza conflict, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.

A Stunner missile launched by the David's Sling system " intercepts (the) target in (its) inaugural flight," the ministry said in a statement.

By conducting the successful interception test, "the Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency completed the first phase of the development of the David's Sling Weapon System (DSWS)," it added.

"This test included for the first time a successful interception by the Stunner Missile of the DSWS. The test was conducted by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems at a test range in the southern part of Israel," the statement said.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak congratulated those involved in the test, adding that David's Sling would form a significant layer in Israel's multi-layered missile defense program.

David's Sling is a missile defense system currently under development by Rafael in Israel and Raytheon in the U.S. and is designed to fill the gap between Iron Dome's short-range protection and the Arrow 2 long-range ballistic missile defense program. It is also capable of acting as a back-up to the Arrow 2, by intercepting incoming threats that manage to slip through the Arrow's defenses, according to Israeli media reports.

The reports quoted a source in Israel's defense industries as saying that David's Sling was originally scheduled for live trials in 2013, and that this was brought forward "given the general sense of urgency."