After years of research and experimentation, the IDF on Friday finally employed its latest secret weapon: a non-lethal acoustic cannon it used to disperse violent demonstrators rioting against the construction of the security fence near Jerusalem.

Military sources confirmed soldiers used the sound gun, which emits a painful burst of sound at a special frequency making it uncomfortable for protesters to remain in the area.

The IDF used the new weapon on Friday to disperse hundreds of protesters at the village of Bil'in near Har Adar in the Jerusalem corridor. A soldier lost an eye when hit by a rock during the protest.

IDF sources said the decision to use the non-lethal acoustic cannon represented a significant turning point in dealing with demonstrations.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Saturday, an IDF officer confirmed that soldiers operated "the Screamer," a small white box attached to a jeep that transmits the high-pitched sound waves...

...The high-pitched "voice frequencies" it emits are not only hard on the ears, but can cause some to feel nausea, "a little like sea sickness," the officer said. He stressed that the army would only use it in violent demonstrations and when soldiers were positioned a safe distance from the protesters. "The last thing we want to do is harm the soldiers," he said...

The officer noted that the device was used in many countries to disperse violent demonstrations, and the army had come under criticism for failing to use it in such instances...

...The IDF Spokesman on Saturday issued a statement saying the new acoustic weapon "caused minimal injuries" to protesters while "dispersing them efficiently." The IDF has long tested various non-lethal weapon systems, but had always refrained from using them because there was too much uncertainty about injuries they could cause. One major barrier had been their effect on children who may fall into the path of the weapon...

...Pentagon papers have described an acoustic gun that vibrates the insides of humans to a point where it would "liquefy their bowels and reduce them to quivering diarrheic messes." There were no reports of such effects during Friday's test...