If Iran launches a massive air attack on Israel – and also receives support from Hezbollah – Israel may soon run out of air defense missiles, warn several military experts who have spoken to the Financial Times.
It's only a matter of time before Israel runs out of air defense missiles and has to start prioritizing how they are used, says Ehud Eilam, a former researcher at Israel's Ministry of Defense, to the newspaper.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced that the advanced missile defense system Thaad has arrived in Israel, along with American military personnel needed to operate the system. Thaad was promised after Sunday's deadly drone attack on Israel from Hezbollah in Lebanon, with the stated aim of strengthening Israel's defense against future Iranian missile attacks.
And it's needed, according to assessments. Already, Israel Aerospace Industries, a state-owned company that manufactures the Arrow missile system, is reportedly running triple shifts to keep up with Israeli production of air defense missiles.
At the same time, experts believe that the Iran-backed Shia militia Hezbollah has not yet shown its full capacity.
They have only fired a tenth of their estimated launch capacity, says Assaf Orion, a former Israeli brigadier general and strategic chief in the Israeli army, to the Financial Times.
