Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says the Obama administration deserves some credit for Israel’s “Iron Dome” missile defense system, which has protected Israelis during the rocket assaults that have taken place in the last five days.

“The president and Congress here are entitled to, I believe, a lot of credit for providing that system to Israel,” said Levin, D-Mich., on ABC’s This Week. “It’s a very effective system.”

President Obama secured $70 million for the Iron Dome program earlier this year, which was part of a bill he signed that expanded military cooperation between the U.S. and Israel.

“As many of you know, I have made it a top priority for my administration to deepen cooperation with Israel across the whole spectrum of security issues, intelligence, military, technology,” Obama said during the signing ceremony in May. “And in many ways, what this legislation does is bring together all the outstanding cooperation that we have seen really at an unprecedented level between our two countries to underscore our unshakable commitment to Israel's security.”

As Israel continues its assault on Gaza, the country’s defense shield has protected its major cities from Palestinian rocket fire. On Sunday, a long-range missile was intercepted and destroyed en route to Tel Aviv.