Jerusalem, Feb 19 (IANS): Israel has begun developing a long-range ballistic missile interceptor, named Arrow-4, together with the US.

"The Israel Missile Defense Organization, in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development of the Defense Ministry, and the US Missile Defense Agency, have commenced the development of the Arrow-4 system," a spokesperson with the defence ministry said in a statement.

Arrow-4 will be "the next generation" of Israel's multi-layered defence doctrine to intercept missiles in the atmosphere and space, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The defence ministry said Arrow-4 will be an advanced and innovative anti-missile system with enhanced capabilities to "address a wide range of evolving threats in the region and will replace the Arrow-2 interceptors over the next decades."

John Hill, director of the US Missile Defense Agency, said in the statement that the cooperative program between the two countries "illustrates US commitment to assisting the government of Israel in upgrading its national missile defence capability to defend the State of Israel from emerging threats."