An ex-US defense official said that supplies were not unlimited and that Washington could not keep up its ongoing supply of both Ukraine and Israel at the same pace.
New Delhi: Israel is among the world’s most technologically advanced countries and it has a legendary legacy of introducing some of the most advanced, innovative, and cutting-edge weapons. Not many individuals and even nations had an idea about the formidable and effective air defence systems it has up its sleeve until October 7, 2023.
It has been estimated that the Hamas militia had fired about 5000 rockets and almost all of them were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system. Apart from this, the country has David’s Sling and Arrow systems.
It has been more than a year that Israel has been engaged in an armed conflict with rockets, drones, and missiles being fired. Most of them are intercepted. But since the systems have been in use for so long, the number of interceptors has depleted and now there is a potential shortage of interceptor missiles.
This is a very big factor given that Iran has already launched two direct missile attacks on Israel in April and October and Hezbollah, Iraqi Resistance, Houthis, and Hamas are continuously pushing the systems to the limit.
According to the Times of Israel, the Jewish state country is encountering a potential shortage of rocket and missile interceptors in its air defense. Also, it has to be prepared for a possible Iranian attack, according to a British report Tuesday.
Citing experts and former military officials, the Financial Times said that the USA is assisting the Jewish state in addressing the matter, in particular through its promise to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system (THAAD), but Israel could increasingly find itself needing to decide which targets it wants to prioritize defending.
“Israel’s munitions issue is serious. If Iran responds to an Israel attack, and Hezbollah joins in too, Israel’s air defenses will be stretched,” said Dana Stroul, an ex-US defense official adding that supplies were not unlimited and that Washington could not keep up its ongoing supply of both Ukraine and Israel at the same pace.
Israel’s multi-layered system includes the Iron Dome, used to shoot down short-range missiles; David’s Sling, used to intercept medium-range missiles; and the Arrow system, which is designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles.
Presently, the IDF is engaged in a fierce fight with Lebanon-based Hezbollah and according to former IDF general Assaf Orion, Israel hasn’t been fully tested as Iran-backed militia has not unleashed its full capability yet.
“It has only been firing at around a tenth of its estimated pre-war launching capacity, a few hundred rockets a day instead of as many as 2,000,” Orion told the Financial Times adding, “Some of that gap is a choice by Hezbollah not to go full out, and some of it is due to degradation by the IDF, but Hezbollah has enough left to mount a strong operation.”