Israel and U.S. Facing Serious Air Defence Shortages Amid Continued Iranian, Hezbollah, Yemeni and Iraqi Strikes

<p >The Israel Defence Forces are facing shortages of surface to air missiles for their air defence network, with reserves of shorter ranged systems having been eroded by over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah and Palestinian paramilitaries in the Gaza Strip. The Iron Dome system deploys the most surface to air missiles in Israel, and has been increasingly overwhelmed by <a href=" target="_blank">rocket artillery strikes </a>from both sides and by Hezbollah’s <a href=" target="_blank">air defence suppression</a> efforts that have specifically targeted its batteries. Higher tier <a href=" target="_blank">David’s Sling</a>, Arrow 3 and Barak 8 systems have also been depleted by continued<a href=" target="_blank"> ballistic missile attacks</a> from Yemen, two large scale <a href=" target="_blank">strikes from Iran</a> in April and September, and increasingly by ballistic missile strikes from Hezbollah as well. This could be a major factor leading Israel to lean towards caution when planning a potential attack on Iran, with the London based Financial Times having cited U.S. defence official Dana Stroul stating that if Iran responds to an Israel attack, while Hezbollah escalates its bombardment, Israeli air defences would be seriously stretched.</p><p ><img src=" title="Iron Dome Intercepting Targets"></p><p >The United States has taken considerable pressure off Israeli air defences by intervening to shoot down incoming Yemeni and Iranian drones and missiles in the past, primarily <a href=" target="_blank">using its F-15 fighters</a> based in the Middle East and its <a href=" target="_blank">Arleigh Burke Class destroyers </a>which maintain large presences in the Mediterranean and off the Yemeni coast. Jordan, Britain, and France have provided much more limited support to previous interception efforts. The United States Armed Forces’ <a href=" involvement </a>in ongoing hostilities between Israel and its adversaries from late 2023 saw new Patriot and THAAD surface to air missile systems deployed to the region as part of a <a href=" surge</a> in its regional presence. These deployments have highlighted a growing strain on American air defences worldwide, with shortages in the quantities of assets exacerbated by a very limited production capacities for Patriot and THAAD systems – as well as air defence systems integrated onto Navy destroyers. Continued <a href=" of Patriot systems </a>to Ukraine, which have <a href=" target="_blank">continued</a> to take <a href=" in combat</a>, has been a further major factor. </p><p ><img src=" title="Redeployment of Arrow 3 Battery in Israel"></p><p >The United States Army’s deployment of a THAAD system to Israel in the second week of October has been interpreted by analysts as a means of shoring up Israel’s increasingly depleted missile defences, with the system taking pressure off the Barak 8 and Arrow 3 when integrated into the network. The deployment has further highlights the growing strain on America’s inventories of air defence systems, with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on October 14 highlighting that “the air defence artillery community is the most stressed.” “I think we should view this THAAD deployment as for what it is, which is another visible statement of our commitment to the security of Israel,” she stated at the time. THAAD’s AN/TPY-2 X-band radar had notably first been deployed to Israel in 2008, although the addition of THAAD launchers further strengthens American support. The U.S. Armed Forces’ arsenal of just eight THAAD systems are currently stretched between deployments in Guam, Saudi Arabia, and a particularly large and growing deployment in South Korea.</p>