Israel Running Low On Missile Interceptors As Iran Proves A Stronger Foe Than Expected

Following multiple rounds of Iranian missile barrages that have proven far more effective than many “experts” anticipated, the Israeli Defense Forces are already running low on defensive Arrow interceptor missiles, making Israel all the more desperate for the United States to join the war Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government initiated on Friday the 13th. Meanwhile, as Iran’s retaliation continues, reports of war-fatigue among Israel’s population are already emerging.  

Against that backdrop, President Trump has been dialing up the intensity of his rhetoric as he pushes Iran to capitulate to demands that it cease all uranium enrichment — a demand that Iran has long ruled out as a violation of its sovereignty, while insisting its nuclear program isn’t focused on creating a weapon. The US intelligence community assessed that to be true in March. “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” exclaimed Trump in a terse Tuesday social media post. Trump, who spoke with Netanyahu by phone on Tuesday, is considering options that include a US strike on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports.  As his deliberations continue — while some members of Congress are backing a resolution that would bar a US attack without congressional authorization — the Pentagon continues shifting a variety of assets toward the region. The DOD insists they’re for defensive use, which includes shielding Israel from the consequences of starting a war with Iran.  

According to an individual briefed on US and Israeli intelligence, Israel is on pace to run out of defensive missiles in 10 to 12 days. “They will need to select what they want to intercept,” that person told the Washington Post. “The system is already overwhelmed.” Arrow interceptors are manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. The United States has been pushing other missile defense assets into Israel over the last week, but the Wall Street Journal reports that practice is already raising concerns about the effect on US military readiness.

“Neither the U.S. nor the Israelis can continue to sit and intercept missiles all day,” Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told the Journal. “The Israelis and their friends need to move with all deliberate haste to do whatever needs to be done, because we cannot afford to sit and play catch.” (CSIS is funded in part by the US government and major weapons manufacturers.) According to Israeli financial newspaper The Marker, the ongoing missile defense is costing Israel about $285 million a night, though ZeroHedge readers will reasonably brace for the day that American taxpayers are presented with the bill.   

Even ahead of running out of interceptors, Israel is struggling to consistently defend its citizens and assets from Iran’s arsenal, and especially its cutting-edge hypersonic missiles. Videos of the missiles repeatedly hammering Israel have been making jaws drop around the world and across social media since Iran began retaliating for Israel’s unprovoked launch of a war on Iran. 

A hypersonic boy, among many supersonic bois.

As you can see, the Israeli interceptors in the background can match the speed of supersonic missiles, but are utterly outmatched against hypersonic missiles. pic.twitter.com/aomZb6kXZq

— Zhao DaShuai 东北进修 (@zhao_dashuai) June 15, 2025

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that strikes over Tuesday night used “a new advanced missile.” According to state media, the first-generation Fattah hypersonic ballistic missile has a two-stage solid-fuel system, a 1,400-kilometer range, a top speed of Mach 13-15, and a maximum time-to-target of just 336 seconds. Claiming it repeatedly and easily penetrated Israel’s defenses, the IRGC boasted that “tonight’s missile strike demonstrated that we have achieved total control over the skies of the occupied territories.”

Of course, there’s also the question of how long Iran’s inventory of offensive missiles can last — but it’s far from clear how much of the arsenal remains after accounting for missiles already launched and others destroyed by Israeli strikes. Iran’s pace of strikes has reportedly eased over the past two nights. “Iran has to make a very, very difficult calculation, because they have a limited amount of missiles, and considering the rate of fire, they cannot replenish in real time,” said International Institute for Strategic Studies analyst Fabian Hinz told the Post.  Working to accelerate the math to Iran’s detriment, Israel said it struck missile factories on Tuesday, along with a centrifuge production center.  

This is what a hypersonic missile looks like pic.twitter.com/scg4qBjZRg

— Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) June 17, 2025

As Israel runs low on defensive missiles, the Israeli population is already running low on the psychological wherewithal to carry on in the face of a level of bombardment the country hasn’t seen in a generation. Dozens have been killed and several hundred wounded, alongside startling destruction of government buildings, apartment towers and power plants. In a quote that echoes the desperation of Palestinian and other populations on the receiving end of IDF destruction, Israeli nurse and mother Ella Keren told the Post, “The fact that you don’t know if the missiles are about to fall on you, that we are now living with this feeling of helplessness, it’s insane.” Weary of the nightly blasts and hours spent in bomb shelters, some Israelis are opting to leave Tel Aviv to seek refuge in the relatively safer suburbs and countryside. 

On the other hand, the Palestinians are far more enthusiastic: 

Palestinians parade around the West Bank with MASSIVE downed missile STRAPPED to the roof of their vehicle pic.twitter.com/qRWYuPtxgb

— RT (@RT_com) June 18, 2025