U.S. Used Nearly Half Its Missile Interceptors Defending Israel Against Iran – Report

The United States expended nearly half of its stockpile of advanced THAAD missile interceptors while defending Israel during the recent conflict with Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post, raising concerns over America’s military readiness and the sustainability of its global defence commitments.

The report stated that the US launched more than 200 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors to counter Iranian ballistic missile attacks targeting Israel.

In addition, American naval forces in the eastern Mediterranean reportedly fired over 100 Standard Missile-3 and Standard Missile-6 interceptors during the operation.

THAAD is one of the US military’s most sophisticated missile defence systems, designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal flight phase. Each interceptor reportedly costs over $12 million, according to Deccan Herald.

The development has reportedly triggered anxiety within sections of the Pentagon over dwindling missile defence inventories, especially amid growing tensions in other strategic regions such as East Asia, where allies including Japan and South Korea rely heavily on US military protection.

According to the report, Israel used significantly fewer of its own high-end missile interceptors during the conflict. Israeli forces reportedly fired fewer than 100 Arrow interceptors and around 90 David’s Sling interceptors, some of which were deployed against attacks from Iran-backed groups in Yemen and Lebanon.

The conflict, which reportedly began on February 28 with coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets, has intensified debate in Washington over the extent of American involvement in Middle East wars and the strain such operations place on US military resources.

Critics cited in the report argued that Washington had carried a disproportionate share of the burden in defending Israel, despite former President Donald Trump’s repeated “America First” foreign policy posture. US officials, however, defended the joint military operations, insisting that supporting Israel remains a strategic priority. (SaharaReporters)