Israeli Experts Say Israel Is Exhausted, US and Israel Are 'Short' of Interceptor Missiles
A 'troop shortage' was raised at an Israeli cabinet meeting, and warnings were issued regarding a 'shortage' of interceptor missiles in the joint U.S.-Israel effort.
The UK Royal Defence and Security Report stated, "Highlighting the grim reality," that "Israel's intercept capabilities are limited, and the speed of missile production by the international arms industry cannot keep up with the speed at which Iran is launching missiles toward Israel and Gulf states."
The Royal United Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), as revealed by The Telegraph and the Israeli daily Haaretz, stated, “While Israel has already fired 80% of its Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors, 54% of its David Sling missiles, and 45% of its operational U.S.-made THAAD interceptors, the actual use of Iron Dome interceptors is only 20%.” The report added, “In the case of the United States, it is estimated that 60% of the THAAD missiles deployed to protect self-defense nations from Iranian attacks have already been expended.”
The RUSI report revealed that during the four-week war, the U.S. military spent $26 billion and expended over 11,000 rounds of ammunition during the first 16 days of the conflict, with inventory depletion including 198 THAAD rounds, 431 surface-to-air missiles, and 402 Patriot missiles. The report goes on to point out, “Israel’s offensive weapons stockpile remains in better shape, and only half of the Rampage missiles have been fired,” adding, “However, it faces a shortage of precision strike weapons.”
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on the 26th that a limited cabinet meeting was urgently convened on the night of the 25th to discuss war; IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir decided to warn participants that Jewish terrorism is on the rise in the West Bank, and that a “troop shortage” was cited.
The IDF commander stated that day that the government is not addressing any solutions—such as the revised conscription law, the extension of mandatory male service, or changes to the reserve system—amidst the Haredi conscription crisis. He declared, “I am issuing ten warning signals to you,” adding, “If things continue like this, the IDF will collapse on its own.” On the 26th, Haaretz, an Israeli opposition newspaper, reported on "strategic weakening," stating, "Retired Brigadier General Dror Shalom completed his four-year term as Director of the Ministry of Defense's Political-Military Affairs Department this week, but unusually, the ministry did not make an official announcement regarding the senior official's retirement." The report continued, "Defense Minister Israel Katz, who has long excluded General Shalom, also did not acknowledge the end of his term after approximately 35 years of service in security agencies.
Shalom previously held various high-ranking positions at the IDF Intelligence Directorate, including Head of the Research Department, and served until 2020." Haaretz continued, “Defense Secretary Katz appointed Deputy Director Itamar Graf as General Shalom’s interim replacement, but while he is experienced and seasoned, he has little background knowledge of the core areas of the Political-Military Bureau.”
He added, “General Shalom’s previous duties included close cooperation with U.S. defense agencies, maintaining ties with senior security officials in Jordan and Egypt, and supporting the conclusion of defense agreements with countries such as India, Japan, South Korea, and Ethiopia.
His retirement, carried out without a permanent successor, coincides with a process of weakening within the defense organization, particularly in the strategic sector.”
Haaretz reported on the shortage of senior professional troops, stating, “A more significant point regarding the incident this week in which one of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s media advisors resigned following Channel 12’s embarrassing remarks is that the Prime Minister’s office currently has almost no professional staff, with the exception of spin experts.” The report noted, “There is no National Security Council Chairman, the Cheka Hanegbi was dismissed about six months ago, and security agencies such as the IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad have reduced their participation in strategic planning out of concern that they might provoke Netanyahu, and Netanyahu is not particularly favorable toward their position.”
The Royal UK report predicted that “the cost of an Israeli Arrow interceptor is between $2 million and $3 million, the quantity Israel can store in warehouses is limited, and a stockpile of 1,000 interceptors amounts to $2 billion to $3 billion,” and estimated that “under the current Israeli government scenario, 500 missiles would result in a one-month war, 700 launches resulting in a two-month war, or more.” The report continued, “This conflict also rapidly depletes stockpiles due to a structural imbalance—another structural problem in the Western defense industry—where Iranian offensive weapons are low while interceptors are high.” It stated, “While arms manufacturers can accelerate wartime production, a conflict lasting only a month is insufficient to launch new production lines.”
The report noted, “Considering the amount used so far, it will take up to five years for the United States to restore its Tomahawk missile stockpile.” It further stated, “The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced on the 26th that 8,000 tons of military equipment have arrived in Israel since the conflict began, and that the 200th aircraft of this air convoy landed this week.”
Earlier, the U.S. news site Semafor reported on the 14th that Israel had recently informed the United States that its stockpile of interceptor missiles used against ballistic missiles was running low.
Immediately after this report, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and senior officers of the Israeli Defense Forces firmly denied the claim.
Haaretz stated on the 16th, “The number of interceptor missiles possessed by Israel has not been disclosed for obvious reasons,” adding, “For Iran and Hezbollah, this is a critical factor in how they plan to execute missile attacks, and similar reports regarding stockpiling have emerged following previous military operations, such as the final war with Iran in June 2025 and some fighting in the Gaza Strip.”
Haaretz continued, “It is undeniable that there are more ballistic missiles than interceptors in war zones, and that manufacturing interceptors is more expensive and complex than manufacturing ballistic missiles,” noting, “The number of ballistic missiles fired toward Israel in the current war was lower than expected, and Israel has upgraded its interceptor network.”
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