Israel may run low on missile interceptors, putting US in a 'bind'

If the U.S. chooses to replenish Israel's missile interceptors, it may have to draw them from other stockpiles.
As Israel downs incoming volleys of Iranian missiles, a shortage of its missile interceptors could put both the United States and Israel in a bind.
After a week of its aerial war with Iran, Israel's long-range Arrow interceptors are running low, the Wall Street Journal reported on June 18. In addition to Arrow interceptors, which are Israeli-made, Israel also has U.S.-made THAAD systems, which intercept medium-range ballistic missiles.
If the United States chooses to replenish Israel's missile interceptors, it would mean drawing from other stockpiles, since Congress wouldn't have time to surge U.S. defense production of more, according to Brandan Buck, a research fellow at the Cato Institute. That could include siphoning off interceptors marked off for delivery to Ukraine, to Taiwan in a possible future conflict, or from the U.S.'s own national stock, Buck said.
"If they truly do run out... that's going to put us in a position in which we have to make some serious decisions," Buck said.
"It's going to put the U.S. and Israel in a bit of a bind," he added.
The U.S. could also position some naval ships off the coast to "augment some of their capacity," according to Buck.
The USS Nimitz, a massive aircraft carrier, is en route to the region and will arrive in less than a week, USA TODAY previously reported. It will join the USS Carl Vinson, which moved to the Middle East in April.
When Iran launched a volley of ballistic missiles at Israel in October, the U.S. helped to intercept its attacks using interceptors fired from two other U.S. warships.
The U.S. spends $3.4 billion to bolster Israel's missile defense every year, including $1.3 billion for its Iron Dome, according to the State Department.
Iran could still have thousands of missiles in its arsenal
Israel keeps information about its missile interceptor stockpiles tightly under wraps. Its military said on June 16 that it had taken out a third of Iran's missile launchers.
Israel says its missile defense success rate stands at greater than 90% against Iran's attacks in the ongoing aerial war. Still, some have evaded Israel's defenses, including the missile that struck a hospital in southern Israel on Thursday.
It's also unclear exactly how many missiles Iran has left. The Pentagon estimated in 2021 that Iran just under 3,000 missiles of different ranges. Since Israel attacked Iran on June 12 through June 16, Iran had fired around 370 missiles, meaning thousands could remain.
Israel's multilayered air defense system is designed to take down incoming missives from a variety of ranges.
The Iron Dome intercepts missiles and rockets fired from a short range of up to around 45 miles, and David's Sling intercepts cruise missiles and rockets at a range of up to about 125 miles.
The longer-range missiles fired by Iran are picked up by the Israeli-made Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems, which intercept ballistic missiles at a range of up to around 60 miles and 1,500 miles, respectively.
In October, the United States sent Israel a THAAD system – capable of intercepting missiles inside and outside of the atmosphere – including American personnel to operate it. According to news reports, the United States sent a second THAAD to Israel in April, although the Pentagon has not publicly confirmed the transfer.
The U.S. Army has just seven THAAD batteries in total – it will get an eighth later this summer.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Boston Globe

an hour ago

• Boston Globe

Israeli Consulate in Downtown Boston targeted with antisemitic flyers

'The Consulate General of Israel to New England is aware of and closely monitoring a disturbing incident in which inflammatory flyers — containing the names and personal details of Consulate employees — were distributed in the City of Boston,' the statement said. 'The Consulate strongly condemns this shameful and dangerous act.' Advertisement Officials from the Consulate, which is based in Downtown Boston, immediately notified city and state law enforcement, according to the statement issued Wednesday. A spokesperson for Massachusetts State Police said the agency's Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team, as well as the Commonwealth Fusion Center, which collects and analyzes information related to terrorism, 'are aware of the matter and continue to monitor for threats to the Consulate.' 'Boston, Newton, and Brookline Police as well as the Boston Regional Intelligence Center have primary jurisdiction in this matter,' the state police spokesperson said in an email Friday night. Boston police could not be reached for comment. The Anti-Defamation League New England condemned the 'deeply troubling' incident in a social media post. 'The distribution of photos and personal details of Israeli Consulate staff on flyers encouraging individuals to 'tell them to leave Boston' is nothing short of dangerous and must be called out,' the post on X said. Advertisement Consul General Benjamin Sharoni was among those targeted by the flyers. 'When someone comes to your doorstep, puts up posters with your photo and personal information, and seeks to mobilize others to create a hostile environment around you— it is bullying, it is an intimidation, and a call to hostile action,' Sharoni said in the consulate's statement. Consulate officials said 'this deplorable act is especially concerning in light of recent horrific incidents where anti-Israel incitement has escalated into antisemitism, hate crimes, and acts of violence and terror, including right here in our region,' according to the statement. In Brookline, In Washington, D.C. last month, two Israeli embassy staffers The New England consulate's statement thanked local law enforcement for 'their swift response and continued cooperation, as well as their commitment to deepening security efforts around this matter.' 'We are certain that every effort will be made to ensure the safety and security of our team, our work, and other diplomatic missions operating in the City,' consulate's statement said. The statement also sought to make a firm stand. 'Any attempt to intimidate or disrupt our work will be met with firm resolve and our unwavering commitment to continue serving and further strengthening the bilateral relationship between Israel and this region,' the consulate's statement said. Advertisement The ADL echoed sentiments expressed by consulate officials about the timing of the distribution of the flyers. 'It is deeply troubling in the current climate, where anti-Israel incitement has directly led to the brutal murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in DC,' the ADL's post said. The distribution of photos and personal details of Israeli Consulate staff on flyers encouraging individuals to 'tell them to leave Boston' is nothing short of dangerous and must be called out. It is deeply troubling in the current climate, where anti-Israel incitement has… — ADL New England (@ADL_NewEngland) After Sunday's incident at The Butcherie near Coolidge Corner, Governor Maura Healey addressed the attack on social media, saying it was concerning and unacceptable. 'Acts of violence and intimidation have no place in our communities,' Healey's statement said. 'We stand with our Jewish neighbors against antisemitism. Everyone deserves to live, pray and do business without fear in Massachusetts.' Brookline Police Chief Jennifer Paster denounced the 'hateful' attack. 'This was not simply an act of property damage, and it is not simply vandalism,' Paster said in a statement Sunday. 'There is no doubt that this crime was a targeted, hateful message meant to intimidate a Jewish-owned business and our broader Jewish community.' Paster said a preliminary investigation found that two masked individuals walked to The Butcherie from Coolidge Street and returned in that same direction after throwing the brick through a window displaying a map of Israel. In April, the ADL reported that antisemitic incidents continued to occur at record numbers in New England last year. That followed a The ADL, which began tracking antisemitic activity in 1979, said 2024 marked the fifth year in a row that such incidents increased and broke the previous record for the region. Advertisement The group said New England has seen a 213-percent increase in antisemitic incidents since 2022. The Algemeiner Journal, a New York-based newspaper, Tonya Alanez can be reached at

CBS News

an hour ago

• CBS News

Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse leads effort to end corruption in the federal government

Americans' trust in the federal government has been eroding for years. According to Pew Research, 77% of Americans trusted the federal government to do the right thing "all or most of the time" in 1964. Today, only 22% do. Rep. Joe Neguse, the U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader and a Democrat who represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, is now leading a bipartisan effort aimed at restoring that trust. "End Corruption Now" is a sweeping package of bills that targets corruption and cronyism at the highest levels of government. While scandals involving bribery, extortion, kickbacks, and conspiracies have permeated American politics throughout history, Neguse says the graft today is next level. "The difference in my view is the normalization that I think citizens have become almost desensitized to the everyday corruption that is now so rampant in our nation's capital," he said. Rep. Joe Neguse, the U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader and a Democrat who represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, during the House Democrats 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, on March 12, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images From insider trading by members of Congress, to self-dealing by the president, Neguse says corruption is endemic in D.C. Many politicians have lost their moral compass, he says, and the public has lost faith. "I think the president and frankly I think members of Congress are constantly testing to see how much they can get away with. And the more that voters become and citizens become apathetic and desensitized to this type of corruption, the more corruption will occur," Neguse said. Which is why he is leading an effort to change the status quo with bills that among other things ban members of Congress from ever serving as lobbyists, prohibit them from serving on corporate boards, and bar them, their spouses, and children from trading stocks. "We ought to be willing to condemn that and to stand up and say that that's wrong irrespective of one's political affiliation," he said. The bills also take aim at the executive branch by prohibiting CEOs convicted of financial crimes from serving in the White House. They also install new oversight measures for the president after Neguse says Trump dismantled many of them. He fired about 18 inspector generals -- government's independent watchdogs -- and suspended enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act even as he accepts a luxury jetliner from Qatar and other foreign governments spend billions of dollars on his family's real estate ventures and his crypto meme coin. Neguse says Trump's pay-to play schemes are brazen and dangerous. "It gives him an immense amount of power that no chief executive has had or has attempted to acquire in our country's 250-year history. The silver lining here is we have the agency to be able to stop it, right? We can ameliorate all this corruption. We can prevent it, we can end it and we can end it now with these common sense measures if we have the political will to do it." The package of bills also includes legislation to clearly define an "official act" by a public official after the Supreme Court redefined the definition of bribery and a bill called the "Musk Act," which requires government employees to recuse themselves from any matters that affect their financial interests or that of previous employers. Neguse says when he first introduced the bill placing a lifetime ban on members of Congress serving as lobbyists seven years ago, he had two co-sponsors. He now has 85. But while leadership in both parties and President Trump support reforms like banning members of Congress from trading stocks, Neguse says the bills will only pass if the public demands it.

San Francisco Chronicle​

2 hours ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

S.F. ‘emergency protest' condemns ICE raids, U.S. support for Israel

Hundreds of people protested the prospect of a U.S. war with Iran and voiced support for immigrants in the U.S. and Palestinians in Gaza during a rally Friday evening outside the federal building in San Francisco's South of Market. The protest outside the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building, which drew about 200 people at its peak, was organized by a coalition of activist groups, including Bay Resistance, the Answer Coalition and the Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The escalating tensions between Israel and Iran were a major focus of Friday's protest. President Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will strike back at Tehran. Tensions initially soared last Friday with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear and military sites, military leaders and nuclear scientists. 'As the U.S. escalates aggression on Iran — backing Israeli strikes and pushing for war — it exposes its imperialist playbook: defend Zionism, crush resistance. From Gaza to Tehran, the U.S. fuels war and genocide to maintain control,' organizers said in promoting the event, billed as an 'emergency protest.' The protest featured several speakers and closed the block around the federal building at Seventh and Mission streets, with many protesters chanting, 'Free, free Palestine.' Bay Area protests against Israel's war with Hamas have cooled in recent months, though activists have found new energy since Trump retook office in January. Last Saturday's No Kings Day protests drew tens of thousands of people to events in dozens of Bay Area cities decrying Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids nationwide. Weeks earlier, demonstrations against Tesla CEO Elon Musk drew huge crowds to the vehicle's showrooms across the Bay Area condemning the onetime Trump ally, whose relationship with the president has cooled in recent weeks. 'At home, the war continues through ICE raids, family separations, and repression of migrants — all part of the same violent system,' the organizers said. 'We reject this imperialist war machine and stand with all people resisting Zionism and U.S. domination.'