-
Israel is facing a shortage of interceptor missiles, sources told the Financial Times.
-
The head of an Israeli interceptor missile manufacturer said its production lines operate 24/7.
-
But a national security expert told BI to be cautious about the idea that Israel is running low.
Israel’s supply of interceptor missiles, crucial for defending against enemy missile attacks, is under pressure, while the threat of escalation with Iran remains a major concern, according to a report in the Financial Times.
Dana Stroul, a former senior US defense official who oversaw Middle East policy, told the FT that “Israel’s ammunition problem is serious.”
She warned that any possible retaliation by Iran to an expected Israeli attack, combined with more rocket fire from Hezbollah, could push supplies to the limit.
Stroul also noted that the US is reaching a “tipping point” and may struggle to continue supplying Ukraine and Israel with interceptor missiles at the current pace.
Ehud Eilam, a former researcher at Israel’s Defense Ministry, told the FT that during an Oct. 1 attack, “there was a sense that the IDF had reserved a number of Arrow interceptors in case Iran fired its next salvo at Tel Aviv. ”
He added: “It is only a matter of time before Israel runs out of interceptors and must prioritize how they are deployed.”
According to recent data from the Israeli military, more than 26,000 missiles, rockets and drones were launched into Israel from multiple fronts between October 7, 2023 and last week.
This included attacks by Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Iran.
Iran’s large-scale airstrike on Israel in April was successfully defended, the IDF said, claiming that 99% of projectiles were intercepted.
But a second major barrage on October 1 was even more damaging: Satellite images showed several rockets hitting areas around the Nevatim air base and the IDF said there were a small number of hits in central and southern Israel.
Zvika Haimovich, a retired brigadier general who oversaw Israel’s air defenses from 2015 to 2018, told NPR in June that Israel was using up missiles faster than they could be manufactured.
“After eight months of thousands of interceptions, this is a major challenge,” he said.
Israel’s multi-layered air defense system includes the Iron Dome, used to intercept short-range missiles, David’s Sling, designed to destroy longer-range missiles, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, which can intercept long-range ballistic missiles.
Boaz Levy, CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries, Israel’s state-owned manufacturer of the Arrow anti-ballistic missiles, told the FT: “It’s no secret that we need to replenish supplies.”
Levy said the company’s production lines operate “24 hours, seven days a week” to meet its obligations, while emphasizing that production of interceptor missiles takes time, “not a matter of days.”
But Ori Wertman, a research fellow at the University of South Wales whose work focuses on Israeli national security, expressed caution about reading too much into the idea that Israel is running out of missiles.
He told Business Insider that he doubts Israel will completely deplete its stockpile of interceptor missiles, and that he should approach the narrative of an Israeli shortage of interceptor missiles with caution.
“The use of psychological warfare is part of the battlefield. Especially in the Middle East,” he said, hinting that Israel might play mind games with its enemies.
“If some publications in newspapers show the weakness of one side, it may be that the other side thinks so, and then they strike when the other side thinks they are weak,” he said, pointing to the Israeli killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. last month.
“A few weeks ago, just before the killing, there were talks about a ceasefire,” he said.
Wertman also said that the Iron Dome was already selective about what it intercepted, so some missiles do get through.
“If they see that the missile, with an accuracy of almost 100%, will not hit a civilian target or an army base, but will fall on an empty place, such as a field, they will not intercept it,” he said. told BI. “Why waste the money?”
According to estimates, the Iron Dome’s “Tamir” interceptor missiles cost about $50,000 each.
Meanwhile, amid threats of further escalation between Israel and Iran, the US announced this month that it would High-altitude terminal defenseor THAAD, missile defense system for Israel.
The THAAD battery, which will arrive with a crew of U.S. military personnel to operate the system, will complement Israel’s air defense network, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
The highly advanced air defense system is believed to cost between $1.96 and $1.96 $3.25 billion.
Read the original article on Business Insider
