The Israeli occupation authorities informed the United States this week that they are facing a critical shortage of interceptor missiles as the war with Iran continues, according to American officials who spoke to the news outlet Semafor.
A US official stated that Washington had been aware for months of Israel’s limited interceptor capacity, saying: “This is something we anticipated and expected.”
The official confirmed to the outlet that the United States is not experiencing a similar shortage of its own interceptor systems.
This development comes amid broader concerns about the depletion of interceptors if the military confrontation with Iran continues for an extended period, a situation that could leave the United States in a difficult position, according to the report.
The outlet noted that it remains unclear whether the United States will seek to sell or share any of its interceptor systems with Israel, a move that could place pressure on American domestic stockpiles. The United States has previously included missile defence assets in its military assistance to Israel.
The American official explained: “We have everything we need to protect our bases, our personnel in the region, and our interests,” adding that Israel is “developing solutions to address” the shortage of these interception systems.
Earlier reports indicated that Israel had already entered the current war while suffering from a shortage of interceptor missiles that had been heavily used during last summer’s confrontation with Iran.
Israel’s long range missile defence system has come under pressure during Iran’s attacks. According to CNN, Iran has begun adding cluster munitions to its missiles, a development that could further accelerate the depletion of interceptor stockpiles.
Israel possesses other methods to defend against Iranian missiles during the war, including the use of fighter aircraft. However, interceptor systems remain among the most effective defensive weapons against long range missile fire. The Iron Dome missile defence system was designed primarily to counter shorter range projectiles.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States possesses a “near unlimited” stockpile of munitions, although analysts have long indicated that American stockpiles are smaller than what the military would prefer.
Last June, the United States launched more than 150 THAAD interceptor missiles during the twelve day war with Iran, according to findings from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
This number was believed to represent roughly a quarter of the American stockpile at the time. Reports also indicate that the United States used approximately 2.4 billion dollars worth of Patriot interceptor missiles during the first five days of the conflict.
In January, the Pentagon began taking steps to significantly increase production of the THAAD missile defence system.
The US official added that the administration possesses numerous THAAD systems, fighter aircraft, and mid level interceptor capabilities.
For his part, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Semafor in a statement that the department “has everything it needs to carry out any mission at the time and place chosen” by Trump.
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