Israel has alerted Washington that its stocks of long-range ballistic missile interceptors are running critically low as the conflict with Iran drags on, US officials told the Semafor news website.
The warning came earlier this week, sources said, after Israel’s supplies were already depleted from last summer’s clashes with Tehran. Heavy barrages of Iranian missiles — some now fitted with cluster munitions, according to previous CNN reports — have further strained the Jewish state’s Arrow defence systems.
One official noted that the US had foreseen Israel’s interceptor woes for months but faces no such shortfall itself. Tensions have soared since a US-Israeli strike on Iran on 28 February that killed more than 1,300 people, including former supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran has hit back with drone and missile attacks on Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf states hosting American forces, sowing chaos in markets and air travel.
The US State Department approved an emergency $151.8m sale of munitions to Israel last week, bypassing Congress. Analysts say the interceptor crunch could force tough choices if Iran’s salvos intensify.