By Muhammad Mamman
Israel has informed the United States that its stockpile of ballistic missile interceptors is running critically low as its confrontation with Iran intensifies, according to US officials cited in a report by Semafor. 
The warning comes amid a sustained wave of Iranian missile attacks that have placed heavy strain on Israel’s air defence systems, including those designed to intercept long-range ballistic threats. Officials familiar with the matter say Israel had already entered the current conflict with limited interceptor reserves following earlier exchanges with Iran, raising concerns about its ability to sustain prolonged defensive operations. 
Compounding the challenge, Iran has increasingly equipped some of its ballistic missiles with cluster warheads — weapons that disperse multiple smaller bomblets over a wide area. Military analysts say such munitions complicate interception efforts and could accelerate the depletion of Israel’s missile defence stockpiles as more interceptors are required to counter each incoming threat. 
Cluster munitions are controversial and widely criticised by humanitarian groups because they scatter submunitions that can remain unexploded and pose risks to civilians long after an attack. More than 120 countries have banned the weapons under international treaties, although Iran, Israel and the United States are not signatories. 
US officials are reportedly monitoring the situation closely, amid concerns that prolonged fighting could place further pressure on regional missile defence systems and munitions supplies. The development underscores the growing intensity of the Israel-Iran confrontation and the logistical challenges facing advanced air defence networks during sustained missile warfare.
