Israel faces a critical shortage of Arrow interceptors essential for defending against Iranian long-range ballistic missiles, according to a US official who expressed growing concern about the nation's defensive capabilities if the current conflict continues. The Wall Street Journal reported that this depletion of Israel's premier missile defense system has raised alarm bells in Washington about the country's ability to maintain its protective shield.
The capacity issues have been on the US radar for several months, the official told The Wall Street Journal, prompting Washington to strengthen Israel's defensive posture through ground-based, naval, and aerial systems. The Pentagon has responded to the escalating tensions since June by deploying additional missile defense capabilities throughout the region, though officials now worry about America's own interceptor consumption rates.
"Neither the US nor the Israelis can continue to sit and intercept missiles all day," Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Wall Street Journal. "The Israelis and their friends need to move with all deliberate haste to do whatever needs to be done, because we cannot afford to sit and play catch."
Requests for comment from Israel Aerospace Industries, the manufacturer of Arrow interceptors, went unanswered. The Israel Defense Forces provided a statement saying, "The IDF is prepared and ready to handle any scenario. Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on matters related to munitions."
After war in Gaza broke out almost two years ago following the Oct. 7 atrocities by Hamas, Israel's air defense capabilities got a boost from the US in the form of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), in part because of Iran's attacks on Israel in two separate occasions: following the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, and the strike on an Iranian-linked diplomatic compound in Damascus.
