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Israel is facing severe pressure from Iran’s ongoing missile and drone attacks, rapidly depleting its air defense missile stockpile. Continuous use of its air defense systems to counter Iran’s assaults has left Israel’s reserves critically low, according to a report by Middle East Eye.
A U.S. official stated that during four days of intense conflict with Iran, Israel has been rapidly expending its ballistic missile interceptors. This has significantly reduced both Israel’s and the U.S.’s missile defense stockpiles. Concerns are growing within parts of the U.S. government that a direct American strike on Iran could provoke a larger retaliatory attack on Israel, potentially depleting global interceptor reserves to a “catastrophic” level.
Israel relies on a three-tier air defense system: Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow-2 and Arrow-3. The Iron Dome intercepts short-range rockets and drones from groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, David’s Sling counters heavier rockets and some ballistic missiles, while Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 are designed to neutralize hypersonic and ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere. However, Iran’s recent use of hypersonic and ballistic missiles has posed a significant challenge to these advanced systems.
Since Iran’s first attack in April last year, Israel has struggled to replenish its Arrow interceptor stockpile, which is jointly produced with the U.S. The production process is both costly and time-consuming. Dan Caldwell, a former Trump administration defense official, noted on X that these interceptors are expensive and difficult to produce in large quantities. He added that while Israel likely had sufficient reserves for Arrow and David’s Sling, much of this was expended against Houthi attacks and last year’s Iranian assault.
According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s press office, Iran has launched at least 370 ballistic missiles at Israel since June 13. As these relentless attacks continue, Israel’s air defense systems are increasingly strained, and the challenge of replenishing stockpiles with limited time and resources looms large.
AI/MR
