U.S. Missile Defense Interceptors Used in Israel-Iran Conflict, Officials Say

The United States expended a substantial portion of its advanced missile defense inventory while defending Israel from Iranian attacks earlier this year, according to officials familiar with the operations. The scale of the expenditure has raised questions about stockpile readiness and the distribution of military burdens between the two allies.

American forces launched more than 200 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors during the conflict, a figure representing roughly half of the Pentagon’s total inventory for that system. U.S. naval vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean also fired over 100 Standard Missile-3 and Standard Missile-6 interceptors. In comparison, Israel used fewer than 100 of its Arrow interceptors and approximately 90 David’s Sling interceptors. Some of the Israeli systems were employed against less advanced missiles and drones fired by groups in Yemen and Lebanon.

One official stated that U.S. forces engaged twice as many Iranian missiles as Israel did. Analysts described this as a lopsided dynamic, with the United States absorbing the majority of the high-altitude missile defense mission while Israel conserved its own interceptor magazines....