[Israel's Air Defense Under Pressure, High-Ranking Officials Travel to US for Missiles]
Israel has repeatedly claimed that its air defense systems have a 90% interception rate. However, as Iranian missiles continue to penetrate defenses, external skepticism has grown regarding Israel’s previously touted interception statistics. According to Israeli media reports, Israel’s air defense resources are actually under significant strain.
Although Israel possesses multiple air defense systems, facing Iran’s long-range ballistic missiles requires deploying the costly and time-consuming "Arrow-3" missile system—designed to intercept threats outside the atmosphere. During Iranian missile attacks on areas such as Arad, Israel did not deploy Arrow-3 missiles. A military spokesperson stated: “Israel’s air defense interceptor stockpile is not infinite; decisions about launching must consider tomorrow’s battle.” This indicates that after more than three weeks of continuous engagement, Israel’s air defense interceptors are now running low.
Despite repeated public denials by Israeli military officials regarding shortages of interceptors and claims that they are prepared for prolonged warfare, several unnamed Israeli officials told The New York Times that senior military leaders had urgently traveled to Washington this month to request additional air defense interceptors and other munitions support from the United States. This further confirms that as the conflict drags on, Israel’s air defense resources are under mounting pressure.
The key issue, however, is that Israel is not the only one in need of air defense missiles. The United States also faces substantial pressure in maintaining regional air defense across the Middle East. Moreover, Iran’s relentless missile attacks on Gulf states have caused these countries to expend large quantities of their own air defense interceptors over recent weeks—meaning they too will need to seek assistance from the U.S. if they wish to replenish their stocks.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860450167271706/
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