Israel running low on missile interceptors
Israel is running low on its supply of Arrow interceptors as Iran has increased its fire toward the country with two hypersonic missile barrages on Tuesday night.
The shortage, reported by The Wall Street Journal, raises concern about Israel’s ability to defend itself from such long-range missiles from Tehran should the conflict stretch on.
Citing a senior U.S. official, the report said Washington for months has been aware of the interceptor shortfall and has been supplementing Israel with the American-made THAAD missile defense system as well as warships that can shoot down incoming armaments.
The Pentagon has also sent more missile defense assets into the Middle East since Israel began its largest ever conflict with Iran last week, causing worries about the U.S. too quickly using up its own interceptors, according to the Journal.
The issue comes as Iran late Tuesday announced that it fired Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles at Israel. The missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound, creating a significant challenge for Israel’s missile defense systems.
Israel's Arrow system, jointly developed by the country and the U.S., is meant to intercept such long-range missile threats. But a shortage of Arrrow interceptors in the nearly week-long conflict could mean major population centers such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa are left more vulnerable.
The issue also raises the prospect of the U.S. joining the increasingly volatile conflict between Israel and Iran, with President Trump weighing direct American involvement in the Middle East war.
Trump has not yet committed to such a scenario, but has reiterated his support for Israel while signaling growing impatience with Tehran.
Washington also has sent the USS Nimitz carrier strike group to the region as well as more than 30 military refueling tankers to the nearby European theater.
Trump on Tuesday huddled with his National Security Council to review possible options to respond to Iran.