Israel has informed the US of a shortage of missile interceptors amid the war with Iran
Israel has informed the United States that it has critically low stocks of ballistic missile interceptors. US officials told the publication Semafor about this.
According to them, Israel entered the current conflict with already limited stocks of such missiles, having used a significant number of them during last year’s confrontation with Iran.
Israel’s long-range missile defence system has been under significant strain due to Iranian attacks. According to CNN, Iran has begun using cluster munitions in its missiles, which could accelerate the depletion of interceptor stocks.
One US official stated that Washington had been aware of Israel’s limited capabilities for several months. “This is what we expected and anticipated,” he said.
He also emphasised that the United States does not face a similar problem with its own stockpiles of interceptors. This statement came against a backdrop of wider concerns about the possible depletion of such stockpiles in the event of a prolonged military conflict with Iran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday denied reports of a shortage of interceptors, according to the Jerusalem Post.
It is currently unclear whether the United States could transfer or sell some of its own interceptors to Israel. Such a move could also affect US stocks. In the past, the US has already transferred elements of missile defence systems to Israel as part of military aid.
The US official stated that the US has sufficient resources to protect its own bases and personnel in the region. “We have everything necessary to protect our bases, personnel in the region and our interests,” he said. According to him, Israel is working on finding solutions to overcome the shortage.
Israel has other means of defence against Iranian missiles in the event of war, including fighter jets. At the same time, interceptors remain one of the most effective means of countering long-range missiles. The Iron Dome system is designed primarily to intercept short-range missiles.
US President Donald Trump previously stated that the United States has a ‘virtually unlimited’ stockpile of ammunition. However, analysts have previously noted that US stocks are lower than the military would like.
Researchers at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies reported that in June last year, the US used over 150 THAAD interceptors during the 12-day war with Iran. This could have accounted for around a quarter of the stock available at the time.
According to some reports, in the first five days of the current conflict, the US also used Patriot interceptors worth around $2.4 billion.
In January, the Pentagon began the process of significantly increasing production of THAAD missile defence systems. An American official noted that the administration has sufficient numbers of THAAD systems, fighter jets and medium-range interceptors.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell told Semafor that the department “has everything necessary to carry out any mission at the time and place of Donald Trump’s choosing”.
Following the publication of the article, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt stated that US stocks are “more than sufficient” to achieve Donald Trump’s objectives in the standoff with Iran “and beyond”. She also said that the president is focusing on strengthening the armed forces and is urging defence companies to speed up the production of American weapons.
“The achievements of the US armed forces in cooperation with the Israel Defence Forces speak for themselves — the number of attacks by Iranian drones has fallen by 95 per cent, and the number of ballistic missile attacks by 90 per cent, and the regime’s bleak situation will only get worse,” she said.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not provide an immediate comment in response to a request from Semafor.
Last week, the US State Department announced the sale of 12,000 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound aerial bombs to Israel. This deal did not require congressional approval. The Donald Trump administration utilised a procedure allowing it to bypass Congress, citing an “emergency” due to the war with Iran.
Donald Trump had previously stated that the war could end ‘soon’ and described it as a ‘short-term excursion’. At the same time, he, Israel and Iran are signalling their readiness to continue hostilities for as long as necessary.
“It will last as long as necessary,” Donald Trump said on Friday evening, responding to a question about the duration of the conflict. “They have suffered a crushing defeat. The country is in a terrible state. Everything is falling apart.”
An adviser on foreign policy to the Iranian leadership told CNN this week that Iran currently sees no room for diplomacy and is prepared for a protracted standoff.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hagseth told reporters that “all of Iran’s ballistic missile production facilities” had been “functionally disabled”.
