Israel stockpiled air defense interceptors during the war against Iran, while the United States used up the bulk of its high-tech stockpile, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
US forces deployed more than 200 THAAD receivers, about half of the entire US stockpile, and more than 100 SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, three officials told the station. Israel, in contrast, allegedly used only 100 Missile receivers and 90 David Sling interceptors, some of them against very low-cost missiles fired from Yemen and Lebanon.
“The US took over the bulk of the missile defense mission while Israel kept its missiles,” the newspaper quoted Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, as saying. The data suggest a “lost power,” WaPo wrote, although the Pentagon and the Israeli government both defended the balance of resources used.
The Pentagon has claimed less than $30 billion directly consumptionbut critics say the cost of replacing the spent weapons and lost property, as well as the long-term impact on the US economy, could exceed $1 trillion.
While Washington’s stockpile of missiles has dwindled and new production can’t keep up with demand, Tehran is said to have retained much of its offensive capabilities. Iran has ever remain almost 70% of its mobile launchers and missile storage, and regain access to 90% of underground military bases destroyed by US and Israeli bombings, according to early US media reports.
Despite President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to resume strikes unless Tehran accepts his peace terms, many observers have suggested that the repeated extensions of April’s fragile cease-fire show that he is looking for a way out of the ever-increasing cost. disliked conflict. Israel is also reported to be pressuring Washington to finish the job while Tehran is weak.
Tehran has confirmed it is reviewing Washington’s updated proposals, but President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that “Forcing Iran to surrender by force is nothing but deception.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the talks could be successful if the United States completes its own “piracy” against Iranian ships and agree to release frozen funds, while Israel must end its war in Lebanon.
